A Day In The Life
by Tries-Forever
Summary: A day in the life of Emily Rhodes, White House Chief of Staff
1. chapter 1

4:00 am.

The incessant ringing woke Emily from her short lived slumber. She grabbed her phone and turned off the alarm, looking for any new messages that might have come through during the night. No fires yet.

She enjoyed mornings like this. No rush. She could get in a quick run before heading to the West Wing. It was the one time she felt in control. Really in control. She could control how long and how fast. Sure, she pretended she was in control at work, but she was faking it. It was actually laughable.

Go in. Do your job. Try to do the right thing without unraveling. That was her goal.

Fake it till you make it.

5:00 am.

Coffee on. Shower on. Quick. Efficient.

Pick out an "in-control" outfit. A skirt. A blouse. Heels. She missed the days when she had weekends off, could get away with only working eight hours, wore jeans to the office.

Impeccable makeup. Flawless skin. Awake eyes. No dark circles or bags. She painted on this mask everyday. She should be used to it by now. She was never one to show emotion at work. This was a men's club. Emotions just weren't welcome.

6:00 am.

Emily locks the door to her apartment and takes a deep breath, not knowing what time she'll be back that night or if she will at all.

The commute is long even though she's less than 20 miles away. D.C. traffic. Today, she hates this commute - it's a waste of time. She could be working, updating the president's schedule or preparing memos for Seth for today's press briefing.

7:00 am.

Emily swipes her badge into the West Wing and smiles kindly at the security personnel. Shoulders back, she walks confidently to her office. There's no time for doubt here.

It's quiet. Not many people around. She lets her smile fall as she continues to her office. It's much bigger than her previous office, equipped for staff meetings and strategy meetings. Aaron was much better at handling those meetings.

She throws her bags on her desk and gets to work right away, while mentally preparing herself for her morning meetings. She thrives on routine, but this morning, she just wants to crawl under her desk and avoid the morning meetings. Avoid him.

8:00 am.

Emily and Tom. That's it. Easy. Comfortable. Just like the old days. But she knows what's coming and can't focus on the agenda for the day ahead.

She gives the president the schedule for the day, "Meeting with Governor Royce pushed to 2 in order to meet with Ambassador Petrov."

"You ok, Emily?" She was never good at hiding things from people that knew her well. Unfortunately, her boss was one of those people. It was a quietness in her voice that most people wouldn't notice, but he did.

8:13 am.

Two more minutes. Her mind ran through a series of excuses that she could use to get out of the next meeting.

She needs to use the restroom, or reschedule the photoshoot. Or a family emergency, so she could just hide for the rest of the day. She knew she wouldn't use any of them, but a girl can dream.

8:15 am.

Exactly on time, he walks in the Oval Office for the daily security briefing. She mumbles a greeting but refuses to look up from her very important paperwork. Not today. She just can't pretend to be ok today.


	2. Chapter 2

9:03 am.

This meeting is supposed to be over. She feels warm, too warm. Her blouse is choking her, and she wishes she could take a minute to step outside and feel the cool breeze, maybe even have a cigarette. She wasn't a smoker, but she socially smoked with an ex in college and could still remember the sense of calm that the nicotine washed over her.

"I'm sorry Mr. President, but we need to wrap this up. The Prime Minister is awaiting your call." She tried to strengthen her voice, especially in front of him. She could feel his eyes on her. It was too much.

"I'll put him through on Line 2 and schedule a meeting with Homeland Security Committee." She forced a smile. It was much easier to pretend when she was focused on work completely. It was focusing that was her problem.

9:15 am.

Task after task. Cross one thing of the list and then quickly move to the next. She doesn't let her mind wander - it's too dangerous, and there's too much to do.

She never dreamed of being in the White House. Everything was going as planned. She had a quiet job that she loved, helping people improve their lives and communities. She had a great boyfriend. He cared about her, bought her flowers, cooked her dinner. If she hadn't come to the White House, she would have said yes to his proposal. It would have been the perfect life.

But she's here now.

She's starts to feel warm again and unbuttons the top button on her blouse. She can't change anything that happened, but she wish she could.

Why didn't she listen to her gut instinct when the president asked her to investigate Aaron? Why didn't she just ask him?

She let her head fall into her hands. For her entire life she's gone to the right school, had the right friends, the right boyfriend, but was it right for her?

10:00 am

Another meeting. Emily smiles at the president as she enters the Oval Office and ushers in various members of the ACLU. It's eye opening. She has everything she needs: food, a home, health insurance, so why does she feel like something is missing?

She takes notes, listens with a kind ear, smiles at the right time, but she really can't wait to get out of there. It's stifling. This used to be where she was the most comfortable, but now she just feels out of place.

12:16 pm.

Finally, she can return to her office. After the two hour meeting with the ACLU and escorting them out of the West Wing, she crumples into her desk chair and lets her smile fall. She grabs a protein bar from her desk drawer and starts typing up talking points for the president's meetings scheduled for tomorrow. She'd be perfectly ok with hiding in her office for the rest of the day.

"Hey, Emily." She inwardly groans as she looks up with a smile plastered on her face. It probably didn't matter if she could hide in her office all day - someone would find her.

"Mr. President," she responds as she stands, "what can I do for you?"

"Oh nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were ok?"

Another inward groan. She just didn't want to deal with people today. "Yes, everything's running smoothly. I'll run those talking points by Seth and have them for you this afternoon."

"No, no. I mean personally. Are you ok, Emily? I'm worried about you. You don't seem like yourself?" Emily felt guilty, but she did her best to put on an unwavering smile.

"I'm fine, sir. Really." She was lying to the man who was responsible for her political career. They'd grown up together in HUD. They'd kept each other honest. They'd fought together on issues that mattered.

She tries to tell herself that their relationship is strictly professional, but it's more than that. She has babysat his daughter, and he has met almost all of her exes.

"Ok, well, let me know if you need anything. If you want to take a couple days off, I'm sure Aaron would step up for a few days." She felt it. She felt her smile falter. It felt like someone punched her in the stomach, all air escaped her, and she couldn't breath for the slightest moment. She could tell the president picked up on it by the smallest tilt of his head.

She cleared her throat and fixed her smile back into place. "Thank you, Mr. President. I'll keep that in mind."


	3. Chapter 3

1:00 pm.

Halfway through the day. That's what Emily is telling herself even though it doesn't look like she will get home until late tonight. She escorts Ambassador Petrov into a conference room. "The president will be with you momentarily," she says with a forced smile, "Can I get you anything?"

"Ah, no thank you. A lovely lady such as yourself should not have to worry about such silly things as politics." Emily was prepared for this. She didn't let her smile falter this time. It wasn't the first time she had met the ambassador, and she knew this was coming. She had purposefully left space between them, so he couldn't accidentally brush up beside her like last time.

"I'll be back with the president, Ambassador Petrov," she smiled. As soon as the door shut behind her, her smile faded...again. A lovely lady? A lovely lady would have been able to handle the growing pressures of the job, would have been able to tell a man her feelings. She smoothed out her skirt and took a deep breath as she headed to the Oval Office.

She knocked loudly and opened the door. She paused for a moment, but it felt like many. She knew this was coming. She knew she had to see him every day, but she kept putting it out of her mind. So when she walked into situations like this, her confidence was gone, and she was left floundering for short moments. She knew now that her boss could see right through her, but she was playing pretend.

"Mr. President, Ambassador Petrov is here," she said confidently, locking eyes with the president. She refused to acknowledge anyone else in the room and denied herself from stealing little glances, but she could feel him.

She could feel his presence, feel him looking at her. It felt like his eyes were burning into her skin. She turned and smiled at the president, leading the way to the conference room.

1:11 pm.

She couldn't focus. Both men were speaking a mixture of English and Russian. She took notes when she could, but her mind was elsewhere. There was a dull ache in the pit of her stomach, and the warmness was creeping over her again.

Her phone softly vibrated, and she looked at the incoming message. Aaron.

She knew she needed to get over this. She had to work with this man every day. She needed to act like a normal human being.

"Royce is here."

Three words. That's all. Is this what they have become? Not looking at each other. Barely talking.

She responded quickly and professionally. She was getting better at this facade. She could fake it, but part of her knew she was growing into a shell of a woman. Did she even care anymore?

3:17 pm.

"Hey Seth. Here's the talking points for tomorrow." Her voice didn't sound right, not to her. She hated hearing it. It sounded wrong, tired, ready to collapse. She sat in a chair across from Seth waiting for his comments.

"Looks good. So what's really going on?" Seth folded his hands in front of him and watched her, keeping her in an eyelock, daring her to try to get out of this.

"Exactly what the memo says," she responds icily. She knew what he meant, but she's tired of this. Two hours ago, she thought she could fake it. Now, she's not so sure.

"No, why is Kirkmen worried about you?"

"What are you talking about? He's not worried about me." Emily sighed. She knew that the president could read her easily. She also knew that if he was genuinely concerned about her, he would try to get to the bottom of it and fix it.

"He asked Aaron if he knew what was going on with you. He thinks something's up. Well, he knows something is up. So what's going on?"

"Nothing is going on, Seth. We've been busy fighting fires. That's all." Emily pinched the bridge of her nose. She could feel the tension headache forming.

"Evasive. You're only evasive when you have something to hide. Last time you acted like this, you were investigating Aaron for treason." She winced at his words, but he continued. "And since Kirkman doesn't know why you're so flustered, it can't be anything relating to work. Or is it?"

"Seth, I really don't know what you're talking about. Have your comments on my desk by tomorrow morning." She whipped around and headed back to her office. She could feel tears burning the backs of her eyes, but she would never allow them to fall.

She collapsed into her desk chair and started organizing the files needed for tomorrow. She had to focus, block everything out of her mind. She didn't even hear her deputy enter her office.

"Emily, are you ok?"

If she heard that question one more time today….

She begrudgingly smiled at her deputy. "Sorry, Steve. Everything ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just wanted to let you know everything's a go for the 4 o'clock executive order signing. Do you need help with anything?"

"Thanks, Steve. No, everything is on track for now. Thanks." Emily smiled some more. Her cheeks hurt from so much fake smiling today. Fake it till you make it. She was going to plaster that slogan all over her office.

"Okay, well, I'll be working on Friday's files if there's nothing else." Emily simply nodded and went back to typing on her laptop. Steve was always eager, a little too eager.

3:56 pm.

Walking down the hallway behind the president, Emily knew it. This was it. The signing would last anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, and she would be free. She planned on heading back to her office and doing paperwork and preparing for tomorrow - that thought put the first genuine smile on her face all day. No more meetings. No more dealing with people. No more chances of running into him.

Her phone buzzed. Him. She felt that punch in the stomach again.

"Emergency. NK."

She knew it was going to be work related, but she was hoping it wasn't.

"You need to take over the signing," she whispered to Steve who was right behind her, trailing like a puppy dog, and with that, she twirled on her heel and went in the opposite direction to the one person's office she dreaded most.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I obviously don't own anything.**

 **thank you all for the reviews. I love reading what you think! @justicerocks I love the pregnancy idea, but that wasn't my original intention with this. I just needed some more emron in my life, so I hope the buildup isn't too much.**

5:27 pm.

Emily knew that she wouldn't be getting home anytime soon, and she was ok with that. The less time at home meant the less time being by herself thinking.

She was analyzing missile tests and looking for patterns. Something just didn't feel right about the whole situation. The UN had placed sanctions on North Korea before with no threats so why now? And why specifically single out the US?

Emily tapped her pen on her head when she felt it. That gaze. On her. She looked up from her stack of papers to see Aaron leaning against the door.

"Hey." At that moment, she hated how he sounded so confident...and looked so good.

"Hey Aaron. What's up?" She started fidgeting with her hands. He made her nervous. She was putty in his hands. She would do anything he wanted.

"Bump up the meeting tomorrow to 7:30? We're going to need more than 45 minutes to get through everything." She looked up at him. He didn't need to come all the way over to her office to tell her that. An email would have been sufficient. She nodded her head slowly. "Of course."

"Ok, great. See you then." He continued to stand there as she idiotically stared at him. What was she supposed to say? That she was sorry for investigating him? Sorry for lying to him? She wasn't sure if that still bothered him, but it still bothered her. She felt guilty for putting him through that. She felt guilty for him losing his job. And she had blown it. He had tried to smooth things over with her, and she avoided the smoothing. They left it at "see you around," and it's been slowly killing her ever since.

Steve chose that moment to enter her office, practically running and completely ignoring Aaron. "I noticed you didn't eat dinner, Emily. Should I get you something before I go?" She couldn't help but smile to herself as Aaron tried to hide a chuckle. Steve really was eager.

"No thanks. Why don't you head on out?"

"Yeah, yeah. Ok. See you tomorrow." Was that a glare she saw Steve give Aaron?

"You're not eating?" Aaron asked as he approached her desk. She didn't really want to get into this with him right now. It wasn't any of his concern, but she was glad he was concerned. On the other hand, she didn't want him to be concerned with her. It would just lead to more complications.

"Em, are you ok? Kirkman told me you weren't acting like yourself, and I noticed it too." There was that damn question again.

"I'm fine. Just trying to finish up some work." She didn't know why she was lying. She didn't know why she just couldn't say the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to, but she just couldn't force herself to reach out to him.

6:51 pm.

Emily was finally heading out for the night. After the awkward conversation with Aaron, she threw herself into more work. She didn't want to think about him, but she couldn't stop.

7:30 pm.

Emily unlocked the door to her apartment and went straight for the beer. She didn't want to think or feel anything anymore. She kicked of her heels and sunk into the sofa. She knew it was a bad idea. She knew she would fall into a restless sleep, but she couldn't move.

7:55 pm.

She had just finished her first beer and grabbed a second when her phone buzzed. "Hi, mom." She hadn't been good with calling her mother ever since she moved to the White House. The last time she spoke to her was the night of the kiss.

"Hi, honey. How are you doing? How's work? We haven't talked in so long."

"I'm good, mom. I'm sorry I haven't called. Things have just gotten so busy." She was pretty sure her mother knew she was lying, but she let it go. "That's ok sweetie. How's that boy you were telling me about?" Emily cringed. She knew her mother just wanted her to be happy, but right now, she was wishing her mother were a little bit more forgetful.

8:22 pm.

After hanging up with her mother, she plopped herself onto her bed face first. She curled up in the covers and finally allowed herself to cry. Hot tears rolled down her face until she finally succumbed to the sweet bliss of sleep.

10:30 pm.

She could taste him. She could feel his lips move with hers. It felt so right.

She traced his jawline with her fingertips and felt him pull her closer. She never wanted to let go.

She had been with other guys, but they weren't like Aaron. He awoke something in her, a craving, a hunger.

She could feel him move against her, feel his muscles working underneath his shirt. She knew he wanted her. She knew it from the moment he looked at her lips.

The warmness spread through her again, but this time, it was different. She didn't feel suffocated. She felt free. With him, she could do anything.

He cupped her face as he deepened their kiss. She moved with him in perfect synchrony. She let him peel off her clothes and kiss every inch of her skin. She had never felt so alive, so fearless...

11:15 pm.

Emily woke up in a sweat. That was quite the dream. She felt like a horny teenager as she stripped down to take a cold shower.


	5. Chapter 5

4:00 am.

When her alarm went off the next morning, Emily was not ready to start the day. Sleep had eluded her the night before, and she could not get him out of her mind. She put on her favorite dress and heels and started the coffee.

Another day. Another mask.

5:01 am.

She wanted to get into work early. There were a lot of fires lately, and she liked to have viable solutions as she presented them to the president. He had a lot to worry about. He didn't need more, and he certainly did not need to be worrying about her.

She also wanted to get in early to avoid the early morning chatter.

5:37 am.

She made great time on her commute this morning, which could only mean it would be a great day. She poured herself another cup of coffee and started going through her emails.

7:00 am.

Emily printed out the schedule for the day and started making her way to the Oval Office. She didn't know why she bothered. It looked like it was going to be one of those days where everything that was planned would have to be rescheduled for another day.

"Morning, Emily," Aaron greeted her in the hallway. Her heart started beating a little bit faster, but she stood up straighter and protruded confidence.

"Good Morning, Aaron." She smirked. There was way too much going on for Emily to think about anything else. She knew this, and it put her in an excellent mood. She was in her element. She always did well in stressful situations.

They walked into the Oval Office together, just like the old days.

"Mr. President, we've exhausted our diplomacy channels with North Korea, and military options are on the table." Aaron's voice was strained.

"Maybe not." Emily raised an eyebrow. "I know it's not typical procedure, but out of due diligence, Mr. President, I think you should try to reach out personally before we take any military action."

Tom nodded, "It's a good idea, Emily. I want to avoid any military action if possible. This is nuclear war we are talking about."

Emily could feel Aaron's gaze on her. She was hoping it was out of admiration, and he wasn't just pissed she had overstepped her bounds.

"The situation in Charlottesville?" the president asked.

"Governor Vogel has yet to take any action or respond to any communication from Aaron or myself. Riots are continuing. Death toll is up to 16. All minorities."

"I need this taken care of," Tom said curtly. I want you both to go down there and try to reason with Vogel before we have to send in the damn National Guard. I've already asked Steve to arrange your accommodations."

9:14 am.

Emily was too distracted about the awful situation in Virginia to realize what exactly her situation was. She was getting into a car with Aaron for two hours.

9:33 am.

"Are you sure this is the fastest way? We're not moving." She could feel his gaze on her again, but Emily kept her focus forward.

"Yes, we'll get there by noon at the latest. I spoke to Vogel's chief of staff, so we are expected."

"That doesn't mean she'll see us." His voice was quiet.

"I know. I also know she's scheduled to have dinner at the Old Mill Room at 7." Emily could feel herself smirk. She might be new to working in the White House, but she wasn't new to politics, and she prided herself on being able to read people.

"So we also have a reservation?" Aaron asked. Emily still kept her eyes focused on the car in front of them, but she could feel Aaron looking at her and smiling.

"Of course."


	6. Chapter 6

10:15 am.

"Do you want some coffee?" That had spent the drive discussing different ways to approach Governor Vogel, and this was the most personal question Aaron had asked.

"Sure." It made Emily feel sad. After the initial competition for the Chief of Staff position, they had become friends. They talked about their families, their college days, pretty much everything, and Emily thought they could become more. They made such a great team at work. Their ways of thinking complemented each other. Aaron was more practical and considered the logistics, and Emily was great at accounting for the human factor, different personalities and people's emotions.

Before she knew it, Aaron was handing her a cup of coffee. "I could have paid." She looked at him for the first time that morning.

"I know," he smiled. His smile did things to her that she didn't like to admit.

12:00 pm.

Upon arrival at the Governor's office, Aaron and Emily were ushered into a conference room with the instructions to wait. They were expecting this, and Emily was dreading it.

"The president is meeting with the ambassador of South Korea at 2," Emily informed Aaron who was pacing while on his phone.

"And we're getting communications set up for 3 with North Korea," Aaron added.

"That's good." Emily was engrossed in her phone, responding to emails and messages. Aaron cleared his throat, but Emily didn't look up. She wanted to look at him, but she didn't at the same time. She knew she hurt him, and she didn't want to see that pain on his face. She would never forgive herself for putting it there. He sat in the chair next to her.

"Emily?" Aaron's voice was soft. She knew when his voice softened he was going to say something personal, but she didn't think she could handle it.

"Hmm," she responded without looking up.

"Kirkman told me he came up with the list of potential traitors."

"He did." Her response was short. She wasn't sure where he was going with this, but she was sure she didn't want to talk about it.

"He also told me he ordered you to investigate me."

"Aaron, I don't think now is the time to discuss the past investigation. You're the National Security Advisor. If you want the investigation details, you have access to them. We should be focusing on the domestic and foreign national security threats on hand." She still refused to look up from her phone.

She didn't know why she said what she did. She wanted to reach out and touch him. He had been so close to her all morning, and he smelled so good.

She thought she blew it last time when they agreed to see each other around, but she really blew it this time. She could hear Aaron shift away from her, and she couldn't feel his gaze.

She was good at pushing him away. He deserved better than that, better than her.

2:45 pm.

It had been over 2 hours of uncomfortable silence. Emily kept busy making phone calls and responding to messages, and Aaron had done the same.

He did leave the room for a couple of minutes and came back with bottles of water. As he sat one down on the table next to her, her heart fluttered. There was still hope. She didn't know why she felt this way. She messed up big time. She kept shutting him down every time he tried to talk about the investigation. She didn't even know how to go about fixing it, fixing them, so her plan was to just avoid the entire situation and avoid him when she could.

5:00 pm.

"It looks like we'll be going to dinner." Her voice was soft as she checked her watch. She stood up and walked to the nearest window.

"I figured we'd go anyway. We gotta eat." She turned towards him and nodded. He kept trying. She kept pushing him away, but he kept trying to reel her in, a viscous circle.

She stared into his eyes for what felt like forever. She wanted to say something to let him know that she wanted to fix this, even if they were just friends, but she didn't know what to say.

The door abruptly opened, and Governor Vogel finally came in. Emily snapped her head towards the door and immediately went into action.

"Governor Vogel, it's a pleasure to meet you," Emily greeted as she held out her hand. Aaron was quick to follow, and she could feel his arm brush hers.

6:45 pm.

The meeting with Governor Vogel was testing both of them. Emily had prided herself on her patience, but as the meeting went on, she found herself taking more and more deep breaths. She could tell Aaron was getting irritable as well. He had already tried being nice and tried a tough love approach, but nothing was getting through to this woman. Her rightist views were wearing on them both. Although Aaron was a democrat through and through, Emily tried to walk the middle. The Governor clearly wasn't a fan of practicalness, so Emily tried a different approach.

"Governor Vogel, we all agree that the situation here is not good, and something needs to be done. I'm interested in your perspective, and I'd like to understand it better. Perhaps, we can meet again tomorrow to continue discussions?" Aaron probably wouldn't like this approach. He liked to get things done, but Emily knew Governor Vogel's defenses were high, and nothing was going to be accomplished tonight.

7:15 pm.

She could tell Aaron was irritable and partially with her. After Vogel left them, he questioned if she knew what she was doing. She hid the hurt on her face. She had a plan.

When they finally got to the restaurant 20 minutes late, their reservation had been cancelled. She could tell Aaron's irritability had grown. He didn't seem to want to be anywhere near her, which she completely understood. She was secretly hoping he was just hangry, but she knew she had no reason to be hopeful.

"There's a pizza place next door to our hotel. Come on," she nudged him back toward the car and handed him a granola bar. She was back in crisis mode.

7:42 pm.

"You check-in, and I'll get the pizza," Emily ordered. Emily was ready for food and ready to take her shoes off. She was also ready for Aaron's attitude to change.

"This must be how he feels," she thought. She consistently avoided him, and if it were her, she would be pissed. She just didn't know how to change things, even with all the free passes Aaron was throwing at her.


	7. Chapter 7

8:02 pm.

Emily walked into the hotel lobby, pizza in hand, and found Aaron sitting in the lounge. She couldn't help but notice that he looked worried.

"Everything ok?" She asked. He had loosened his tie and unbuttoned his top button, and it was distracting.

"There's only one room." His voice was strained, sad even. It broke her heart to hear it that way.

"Ok, well, I'll just get another one." She started to turn towards the front desk, but he interrupted her. "They're full. Something about an air festival."

"Shall we then?" She couldn't tell if Aaron could hear her voice shake.

Aaron led her to the elevator, and they quietly made their way to the room. He held the door open for her, and she dropped the pizza onto one of the beds. At least they each had their own bed. She put her overnight bag on the desk and sat on the bed to take off her shoes. Aaron sat next to her and started to dig in.

She got up to wash her hands. She was fidgeting. To say she was nervous was an understatement. Last night, she couldn't sleep because she was having dirty dreams about this man. How was she supposed to sleep in the same room as him?

8:45 pm.

After she finished eating, Emily excused herself to take a shower. As she slipped off her dress, she couldn't stop thinking about the man right outside her door. Her heart was beating fast, and her hands were shaking.

She slipped under the hot shower and tried to relax, to clear her mind, but she couldn't think how much better this shower would be if there was a certain someone in there with her.

Was she even allowed to have these thoughts? It was her own fault that she is in this situation. If she could just get over her guilt and just figure out what to say to him….

9:30 pm.

By the time she was finished with her shower, Aaron was sprawled out on the bed watching CNN.

"Bathroom's all yours," she said softly. She grabbed a book from her bag and jumped into the other bed. She could feel him watching her, and she felt self-conscious in her oversized tee shirt and shorts. Aaron got out of bed and was heading towards the bathroom, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. "When you kissed me...that night...I didn't talk to Kirkman until after that." She was stammering. She felt like a fool. His back was still to her. She didn't know what she expected. Him to forgive her immediately? She didn't even know if he understood what she meant.

He slowly turned around and nodded. She looked up at him. He made her feel so small in that moment. His eyes were piercing hers, and she hoped that he couldn't see how conflicted she was.

"I'm sorry, Aaron. I never meant to hurt you."

He nodded again. "Yeah, Kirkman said that." He turned and went into the bathroom.

What the hell did that mean? Did he mean that Kirkman said Emily never meant to hurt him, or Kirkman never meant to hurt him? Kirkman already apologized to him? Her head was spinning. Why was Kirkman talking about this with Aaron? She could use a drink. She was hoping that the conversation would go differently. She wanted to feel like she didn't just mess everything up...again.

10:00 pm.

Emily was still reeling over what Aaron had said, staring at the book she wasn't reading when Aaron had gotten into the other bed. She didn't know how to fix this mess.

"Aaron?" Her voice was soft and meek. It wasn't often that she let her guard down, but she felt like she could with him. She trusted him.

"Yeah?" She could hear him shift, and she looked over at him. She decided to put her pride aside and to stop being a coward.

"I really am sorry, Aaron. I couldn't believe that Kirkman put you on that list, and I didn't believe you could have done it. I was just doing my job." She wanted to cry. She was never a big risk taker, and she hated being in a vulnerable position.

"Why didn't you just ask me?" He sounded more curious than hurt, but Emily still thought she could detect some disappointment in his tone.

"I wanted to, but I didn't want to undermine the investigation. The Capitol bombing was much bigger than us." She was trying to reason with his practical side, but she could tell she was falling short.

"Aaron, honestly, what would you have done if you were investigating me?" The silence that followed her question was too much for her. She had thought that he would have done the same thing, but maybe she was wrong.

"No, you're right. I would have done the same thing you did." He sounded so sad that it broke Emily's fault. Part of her wished she'd never even come to the White House to prevent all the hurt Aaron was feeling because of her.

"Maybe we can start over?" Her voice was definitely shaking, and she was pretty sure Aaron could hear it.

"I would like that." She could hear a little huskiness to his voice, and it excited her. "Dinner tomorrow?" she asked.

"Emily, we'd be having dinner together tomorrow no matter what." His chuckle and the change in tone of the conversation put her at ease. She snuggled deeper into her blankets and fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	8. Chapter 8

7:00 am.

"Emily, are you getting up?" She could feel him shake her shoulder as she opened her eyes.

"What time is it?" she asked groggily as she sat up. She didn't feel so well. She felt fatigued and sore.

"7. Here's some coffee." It was nice to have someone bring her coffee in the morning. Her ex had been adamant about that. He was so perfect...on paper, but the feelings she had with Aaron just weren't there.

8:00 am.

Emily and Aaron were ushered into the same conference room that they monopolized yesterday. Emily immediately sat down and started organizing various papers from her bag. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt like she needed another 8 hours of sleep.

"You ok?" Aaron's voice sounded worried, and her stomach fluttered at the thought.

"Yeah, it's just a headache." Governor Vogel and her chief of staff walked in, and Emily put on a dazzling smile. It was going to be a long day.

11:00 am.

"You have another meeting to attend, Governor." The voice of the governor's chief of staff made Emily cringe. She sounded so meek, scared even. Emily felt bad for the poor woman.

"Right, send some lunch in for these two. We can continue this afternoon." With that, the governor and her chief of staff left the room. Emily immediately slouched into her chair and started rubbing her temples.

"Still have a headache?" Aaron's voice sounded concerned.

"You don't after that?" Emily chuckled. He handed her a bottle of ibuprofen. "Take some," he ordered. "I am impressed. Your plan seems to be working." Emily smiled at Aaron's compliment.

"We would probably be done here if you would just keep your mouth shut," Emily jabbed. "Thanks for the ibuprofen. She really doesn't like you. Can't see why." She took a swig of water and swallowed the pills.

Aaron nodded with a smirk. "You are good at your job. I have to admit that."

"Two compliments in 5 minutes? Are you feeling ok?" Emily laughed. She missed this. Everything was back to before the investigation, soft chatter, joking around, and working side-by-side.

7:30 pm.

Governor Vogel was definitely difficult to work with, and they had spent the majority of the afternoon paying her compliments and making her think their ideas were really hers. At Emily's insistence, Aaron even flirted with the governor, flashing her his charming smiles.

"I still don't like the compromise," Aaron admitted as they walked to the car.

"Me either, but something needs to stop these riots, and revoking the permits of both groups of protestors was the only thing Vogel would agree to, and Kirkman wanted us to avoid calling in forces."

"She's wrong." Emily smiled at Aaron's response. He was definitely stubborn, but he was passionate about his job and passionate about doing the right thing.

"She's racist, Aaron," Emily said softly as they got into the car.

"True. How's your head feeling?"

Emily looked over at Aaron and gave him a small smile. "I'm not feeling too well, Aaron. Rain check?"

"As long as you're not cancelling because you're investigating me," Aaron laughed.

She looked at him sadly. Would they ever be able to move past this?

"Aaron, I'm sorry about that. Ok?" Emily's voice broke, and she really just wanted to crawl into bed and bawl her eyes out, her secret guilty pleasure.

"Em, I'm sorry. I was just joking."

"It's not funny, and you're clearly not over it," Emily spat. They had just pulled into the parking lot, and Emily jumped out of the car as soon as he parked.

7:55 pm.

Emily entered the hotel room, and Aaron trailed behind her. She refused to look him in the face. The only thing she wanted was to shower and go to bed.

When she got out of the shower, Aaron was nowhere to be found, so Emily turned all the lights out and curled into bed.

3:00 am.

Emily's eyes fluttered open as she tried to adjust to the dark. Her head felt much better than yesterday. She grabbed her laptop and tried to stay as quiet as possible. She could see Aaron's chest rising and falling as he was sleeping.

She turned her laptop on and starting going through emails. She saw an email from Seth, something about her deputy not giving him correct information, and the press conference going terribly yesterday. She inwardly cringed. She didn't think her deputy could handle anything. Maybe, she should try to find a new one.

As she got out of bed to find her head phones, she noticed a post it the beside table.

"There's takeout in the fridge if you get hungry." She could physically feel the guilt rise up inside her. She betrayed him, and he was still making sure she ate.

5:30 am.

Emily was still working in bed. She had papers surrounding her. Her hair was a mess with a pen sticking out of it. She had another pen in her mouth, and she was typing away. The tv was on mute, and she would occasionally look up and read the closed captioning. Her head phones kept getting tangled as she typed, but it didn't slow her down.

Aaron rolled to his side and watched her for a minute before he started to get up.

"Fires already?" She quickly pulled her headphones out of her ears and smiled, "Of course." Her smile was fake. It was small. Her eyes weren't shining. Maybe, they couldn't get over the investigation. Maybe, it wasn't meant to be.


	9. Chapter 9

6:30 am.

On the road again. They had both agreed that they wanted to leave early in order to get back to the White House as soon as possible, but they also realized they would probably be sitting in D.C. traffic for at least an hour.

Emily was quiet. She wasn't sure where they stood after their fight last night, and she didn't know how to bring it up or if she even could.

Her phone vibrated. It was her deputy. She sighed deeply, "I have to get this." Aaron gave her a curious glance and chuckled when he saw the caller ID. She really needed to get a new deputy. She had a feeling that she would be fixing mistakes he made in two days for the next two weeks. It also seemed like he had a habit of doing the complete opposite of what Emily requested.

In the middle of trying to explain to him where certain files could be located, Aaron nudged her arm with a coffee he picked up through a drive thru. She smiled gratefully at him and took a big gulp. His sweet gesture distracted her from whatever nonsense her deputy was spewing on the other end. "Alright, I'll be back in two hours. Don't do anything until I'm there." Emily was trying her hardest to be patient, but she was sure her tone was betraying her.

Once she hung up, she felt Aaron glance at her and start laughing.

"I'm glad you're enjoying my frustration, Aaron." She didn't mean to sound so bitter, but she was sure Aaron picked up on it.

"I'm sorry, Em, but it's Steve, right? He was in the mail room before the bombing. Not sure how he managed to work his way up to Deputy Chief of Staff."

"Kirkman wanted to preserve as much as the previous administration as possible." Emily stared at the road and kept her voice professional. It wasn't a decision that she necessarily agreed with.

"So why not keep him in the mail room? You didn't need to promote the guy." Emily glared at him before turning her gaze back to the road. Aaron didn't understand. He wasn't there. When Kirkman became president, Aaron didn't have a deputy. The decision came after the fallout with Aaron. Emily guessed it was because Kirkman felt guilty for losing an excellent Chief of Staff, but she wasn't about to admit all that to Aaron.

9:33 am.

They had hit a lot of traffic coming into D.C., but they had expected that. Emily practically ran to the Oval Office as soon as they parked, and Aaron had trouble keeping up.

"Mr. President, the situation in Charlottesville is under control. Vogel revoked both permits last night, and crowd size has been steadily decreasing." As she was speaking, Emily could feel Aaron stand next to her. She could feel his eyes on her. She really needed to get him out of her mind and start focusing on the task at hand.

"Good, I'm going to need you to meet with Republicans to push the health care bill."

"I'm on it, sir." Emily turned on her heel and breezed by Aaron on her way out. She had way too much to fix and didn't have time to be worried about where she stood with Aaron. The state of the country was more important than her personal life.

11:30 am.

"Steve, I told you not to do anything until I came back." Emily stormed out of her office and could feel her face getting hot, so naturally that's when Aaron walked by chuckling. He had seen everything. She glared at him.

"Thanks for the coffee, Em. Rain check, tonight." He kept walking to what Emily assumed was his next meeting. She was confused. She didn't get him coffee, and he didn't sound like he was asking her to dinner, more like just stating a fact. She couldn't imagine she would be getting out of the office at a decent hour anyway.

2:00 pm.

Emily returned to her office from her lunch meeting an entire hour after it was supposed to end. She smiled when she saw a cup of coffee on her desk. She desperately needed it. She found a note next to it.

"Dinner?" It was signed simply "A." Emily slumped into her chair and took a long drag of the hot coffee. That's what Aaron meant. He got her coffee and was inviting her to dinner. She smiled a little. She really wanted this to work.

4:45 pm.

Emily heard a soft knock on her door. If this was her deputy, she was going to lose her mind.

"Don't stand," Tom said with a smirk. "No national security threats. Why don't you get outta here before there is one? Take an early night for once." Emily started to protest, but Tom stopped her.

"It's an order." With that, he was gone. Emily was glad for the order and started packing up some work to do at home later that night when Aaron came in.

"Still on for dinner?" He smiled at her, and she could feel her heart melt. She grabbed her bags and walked out with Aaron.

5:30 pm.

The drive to their favorite pizzeria was filled with mostly work conversation. Emily felt a little guilty for leaving work so early, but this was the first time she had left before 5.

"Now that we're here, we probably shouldn't talk about work. It's not the most secure place." Aaron's voice was smooth, and he was smirking. She could definitely get used to this.

They ordered and climbed into a booth. Emily started fidgeting with her napkin. She couldn't believe it, but she was nervous. She had never been nervous on a date before, but she had never been on a date with Aaron before.

"So," Emily was desperately thinking of anything to say, "thanks for the coffee." She smiled sheepishly at him. She could get lost in his eyes.

"It was no big deal. I know you're having a hard time with Steve. Thank you for repaying the favor and asking me to dinner." He was smiling at her.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked.

"You left coffee on my desk with a note asking me to dinner." Aaron's smile fell. He actually looked worried, like Emily was losing her mind."

"Aaron, I didn't leave you coffee or ask you to dinner. There was coffee on my desk this afternoon asking me to dinner. I thought it was from you."


	10. Chapter 10

6:15 pm.

"So you got coffee asking you to dinner, and I got coffee asking me to dinner." Aaron paused looking at Emily quizzically. "We were set up." Aaron started laughing.

"I guess so," Emily could feel herself blushing. That meant that whatever feelings she had for Aaron, whatever they were, she was not hiding them well. Someone in the White House knew.

"But who could it be?" Emily asked as they're food was delivered. It had to be someone close to Emily. Someone who knew her well. She was too professional to show her feelings towards Aaron at work.

"Steve?" Emily offered. At the suggestion, Aaron started laughing.

"Em, you think Steve set us up? He's in love with you. He would be setting you up with himself." Emily cringed at the idea. She could feel her nose wrinkling. Steve was a sweet guy, and Emily wanted him to find someone to share his life with, but it definitely would not be her. She would never be able to overlook his work ethic.

"I think it's probably Seth. He's always pulling pranks on me. Wanna confront him tomorrow?" Aaron asked.

"You know, Aaron, you're probably right. It's gotta be Seth. I'm going to be at Capitol Hill tomorrow, but let me know how that goes."

8:30 pm.

Emily and Aaron were still sitting in the booth at the pizzeria. It was nice for Emily to get away from work and just relax. Aaron had a way of easing her mind and slowing it down from the typical 100 mile per hour pace it kept.

"Aaron, this has been really nice. I haven't really forgot about work and just relaxed since Kirkman became president." She offered him a small smile.

Aaron reached for her hand across the table. "I know, and it worries me. You're going to burn yourself out."

"But it was ok for you to keep these hours when you were Chief of Staff?" She gave his hand a small squeeze. She enjoyed teasing him. He always had quick comebacks and thought really well when he was pressured.

"Well I didn't have someone who cared about my wellbeing." He squeezed her hand gently in return, and Emily could feel herself blush. "Wanna get some dessert? There's really good place right down the street," Aaron asked taking the pressure off Emily to respond. She was grateful, but it also scared her how well Aaron new her already. He knew when he could push her buttons, and he knew when to stop. She didn't even think her own family knew her that well.

"Let's go," she responded smiling.

9:00 pm.

Aaron held the door open for her after they got dessert as she got into his car.

"Where to, My Lady?" Emily burst out laughing at Aaron's bad acting.

"Never call me that again! But I think we should call it a night. I should get in early tomorrow to finish some things." Aaron frowned at her suggestion, but nodded.

"You're right. I'll take you home." He smiled, and Emily felt heat pool in her belly. She knew she didn't want this night to end, but hopefully there would be many more like it.

She felt so comfortable with Aaron. He got her. He knew her little quirks, and he had picked up on them just by working with her. He also excited her. She usually played it safe in relationships, and they usually ended up being pretty boring.

They pulled up to her apartment complex, and Aaron parked. "I'll walk you up." Aaron was also a gentleman.

As they walked to her door, Emily cleared her throat. "Thank you for everything tonight...dinner, dessert, driving me home." She smiled up at him. Those eyes. That smirk. She could stare at him all day.

He simply nodded. "We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah, absolutely." The thought of another date made her giddy.

Aaron looked at her lips. She knew this moment was coming. After their last kiss, it was inevitable. She had been waiting for this all night.

Aaron leaned in, and she met him more than halfway. Aaron cupped her face, and she pulled his waist closer to her.

Emily pulled away. "Would you like to come in?" Aaron smirked. "I would love to."

Emily worked hard to steady her hands as she put the key in the lock. She grabbed Aaron's hand and led him to her bedroom. Her dream was literally coming true…

10:30 pm.

Emily came out of the bathroom in her robe and leaned on the doorframe. Aaron laying in her bed was something she could definitely get used to seeing.

"You ditched me already," Aaron mumbled half-asleep. Emily laughed.

"Never again." Emily whispered as she crawled on top of him.

5:00 am.

Emily's alarm went off again. She kept hitting snooze. She was just too warm and cozy with Aaron to even think about getting out of bed.

"We should get up," Aaron mumbled into her hair.

"If you say so," Emily replied. She turned to give Aaron a quick kiss and then was out of bed before Aaron could respond. She heard him groan as she went to start the coffee.

"Dinner again tonight?" Aaron asked coming into the kitchen.

"You betcha," Emily smiled. "I should be back in the office by 4. I'll stop by your office." It was going to be a long day. The only thing that Emily wanted to do was crawl back into bed with Aaron and forget about work.

Aaron gave her one last kiss before leaving for his own apartment to get ready for work.

6:30 am.

Emily walked into her office to get ready for all her meetings on Capitol Hill. She had to find all of the paperwork she needed because her deputy pulled all the wrong files.

She was frustrated which only led to her desire to go home even more.

She looked up when Aaron came in.

"I got you...whoa, are you ok? You look…"

"Don't finish that sentence. Just give me the coffee, Aaron," Emily interrupted. "I'm tired and have to redo everything Steve did and have to do what he didn't."

Aaron nodded, "ok, I'll see you in a few."

He left, and Emily immediately felt guilty, but it was his fault she was so tired.

7:30 am.

Emily was sitting in the Oval Office, waiting for Aaron's arrival. It was rare that her morning briefing with the president didn't go over the allotted time. It was also rare for Aaron to be late. Emily was hoping that didn't mean a crisis.

She already went over the president's scheduled and briefed him on her plan of attack for her meetings today. Kirkman seemed off, happy. He was smiling at her, and she thought she saw his eyes twinkle. That couldn't be right. She was probably just hallucinating because she was tired.

"Did you do anything fun last night with your time off?" the president inquired.

"Um no," Emily lied. She hated lying, but she figured she didn't have fun last night. She had a lot of fun, so technically she wasn't lying. Aaron walked in then, and she gave him the cold shoulder for the entire meeting. She was tired, but she couldn't let her guard down. It would be bad for the White House and Kirkman's presidency if word got out about her and Aaron. She didn't trust herself to even look at him, so she didn't.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I don't own anything, and none of the people are real.**

8:30 am.

Emily was on her way to Capitol Hill when she heard that familiar buzzing. She looked at her work phone at a red light, but that wasn't it. Could it be her personal phone? It obviously had to be, but she hadn't used it that often. She used it about once a week to call her parents. Even then, her mom would call her work phone when Emily forgot to call her, which happened more often than Emily would like to admit.

She pulled into a parking spot and grabbed her bag. On her way to Senator Nelson's office, she dug out her phone. Aaron. Why would Aaron be texting her personal phone?

"Emily, hey!" Nadia's bright voice brought Emily back to reality.

"Hi, Nadia, how are you? How are you liking working for Flores?" Emily smiled brightly. Nadia was sweet. She knew from the last time they met. Emily hoped that she would have the chance to get to know her even better.

"It's great! She's so amazing, and I've learned a ton already." Emily couldn't help but envy the excitement in Nadia's voice. It's been awhile since Emily felt that way about her own job.

"That's amazing! I'm so happy for you," Emily's smile was genuine.

"Can I ask you a question?" Nadia stopped walking and gently grabbed Emily's arm to face her. "Is Aaron ok? I texted him about my new job, but he hasn't responded." Emily tilted her head to the side. She was sure Nadia didn't know about their relationship or whatever it was.

Emily grabbed her hand and squeezed gently. "I'm sure he's ok. Things have been crazy at the White House. I'll let him know to give you a call." She smiled at Nadia. She couldn't help but feel guilty….

As Emily started walking away, Nadia called out, "Wanna get lunch?"

Emily turned and nodded, "That would be great!"

9:15 am.

Emily was sitting in Senator Nelson's office. She had a relaxed smile to mask her absolute disgust. How this man ever got elected was beyond her.

She was good at reading people, reading situations. Unbeknownst to many, she was a psychology minor in college, and if she was being honest with herself, it should have been her major.

As soon as she met him, she got chills. This guy was old fashioned, women-shouldn't-be-in-politics old fashioned. He made it clear to Emily that in his eyes, Emily was just the messenger. She didn't have a brain to be able to be discussing health care with him.

Emily knew she could easily manipulate him. She didn't need a minor in psychology to tell her that. After all, she was a woman. She had too much experience with assholes like Nelson.

Emily's work phone buzzed. She gave Nelson a dazzling smile and touched his arm. "I'm so sorry. This might be the president. I just have to check in case it's an emergency." She didn't actually have to check. They had decided at this morning's meeting that Aaron would handle any emergencies, but she needed a distraction, a reality check. Ok, so she was manipulating the Senator just a little, but this guy was scum. Surely, manipulation was ok in this situation.

There was that guilt again, settling into Emily's stomach.

Aaron.

"It wasn't Seth. How's Capitol Hill?"

Emily wished she had time to respond. She hadn't even looked at the message on her personal phone.

She smiled up at Nelson, "Not an emergency. Can you explain to me again the benefits of cutting Medicare?"

It was going to be a long morning.

10:30 am.

If anyone asked, Emily would not be able to lie. That meeting with Senator Nelson was a nightmare, dry and boring. He didn't want to talk about anything substantial because she was a woman, and when he did say something about health care, his tone made Emily feel like she was in kindergarten again. Apparently, women don't know anything about health care, even when it pertains to them.

Now, she was sitting in an office with Senator Ward and her aide.

"Was Senator Nelson on his best behavior? He's a tough one," Ward said, At least, we can really get to work now." Emily appreciated the senator's work ethic and her willingness to compromise.

"Yes, let's get to work. I understand you're concerned about the cost of the bill?"

This conversation was why Emily got into politics in the first place. She wanted to help people, all people, and she saw a major flaw in Congress. It was all party over country, and compromises were rare instead of the norm. There was no working together. She wanted to change that.

12:00 pm.

Emily walked to Nadia's office, phone in hand answering a ridiculous email from her deputy. She hated that she had to be away from the office again so soon after traveling to Charlottesville. She'd assess the damage her deputy managed when she got back later this evening.

With a soft knock, Emily peeked her head into Nadia's small office. She could see the family pictures and feel the hominess. She could feel a slight pang of jealousy, but she quickly pushed it aside.

"Do you have time for lunch?" Emily asked Nadia hopefully.

Nadia looked up from her paperwork and grinned, "Yes! Do you like Mexican? There's a really good Mexican place, El Limon, that's super close."

1:00 pm.

After lunch, Emily went back to meeting with senators, but she felt refreshed after talking to Nadia. She learned a lot about Nadia's goals and dreams. She remembered when she was that excited about her own political career….

"Emily, sorry I'm late," Senator Smith greeted her with an outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you, Senator Smith," Emily replied with her textbook smile. She could feel the senator's eyes move up and down her body, not another pig.

"Shall we get started?" Emily asked to try to redirect his attention. She knew it was something she'd have to stay on top of for the next hour.

5:30 pm.

Emily was finally leaving Capitol Hill. She had stopped by Nadia's office to thank her for lunch and then headed out. She really liked Nadia. She could tell that Nadia was a good person, had good ethics and morals. Emily hoped that Nadia would achieve her dream of becoming a senator herself one day. Congress could use senators like Nadia.

She was hoping to get back to the West Wing sooner, so she could get to dinner with Aaron sooner, but she gave up after her last meeting of the day ran late.

6:15 pm.

Emily leaned on the doorframe of Aaron's office, jacket still on, briefcase in hand.

She smiled, watching him, until he hung up the phone.

"Sorry I'm late," she said softly. Aaron gave her a smile, but it quickly faded.

"We need to talk, Em. Close the door."

Emily could feel her own smile fall as she closed the door. She moved towards the chairs opposite Aaron's desk and sat down without saying anything. She felt like she was going to be sick. She could tell that this was something personal, and she didn't think it was going to be good.

The message. Emily mentally kicked herself. She still hadn't opened Aaron's message on her personal phone.

"Kirkman talked to me today about you." Emily could feel her eyebrows instinctively raise. That wasn't what she was expecting.

"He's worried about you. He thinks that we were in a serious relationship before he asked you to investigate me." Aaron's voice was soft as he came around the front of his desk and leaned on it.

"He also thinks that by ordering you to investigate me, it is his fault we aren't together." Aaron paused, and Emily didn't have to look at him to tell he was smirking. "And so he thinks it's his fault that you are so miserable."

Emily sat back in the chair. She could handle this. She started laughing.

"Stop distracting me," Aaron said practically in a whisper. He was looking at her in a way that made her comfortable and uncomfortable all at once, especially when they were at work.

"What?" Emily asked quizzically.

"You're beautiful when you smile, but there's more." Aaron moved over so he was standing almost directly in front of Emily. Without breaking his gaze into her eyes, he whispered, "He told me not to blame you. He said he didn't give you a choice in investigating me. Your job depended on it. He told me you didn't think it was possible, and you wanted to cross my name off the list immediately."

Emily broke his gaze and looked at her hands folded in her lap. Her fingers were squeezing each other, something that she did when she was uncomfortable or in pain.

Maybe she couldn't handle this.


	12. Chapter 12

6:25 pm.

Emily hung her head in her hands. She wanted to cry, but crying was a sign of weakness. She was not weak.

"Em, talk to me. What are you thinking?" Emily could hear the concern laced in Aaron's voice.

Emily stood up and looked Aaron in the eye. She could see the pain there, and she hated herself for putting it there.

"I'm sorry, Aaron. I never meant to hurt you. I wish none of this ever happened." She forced a smile and started leaving his office.

Emily was halfway across the room when she felt Aaron pull her arm, forcing her to stop and turn towards him.

"None of what? Emily, don't punish me for something Kirkman said." Emily closed her eyes. She could feel Aaron staring at her waiting for her to respond.

Emily opened her eyes and took Aaron's hand that wasn't still holding her arm.

"Do you have a lot of work left to do?" Emily asked quietly. Aaron nodded in response, sadness settling on his face.

Emily gave him a soft kiss. "Find me after, ok?" She gave him a small smile. She hoped he understood. This was too much for her. She needed a break from this conversation, but she wanted to continue it later.

Aaron nodded and gave her small smile.

6:35 pm.

Emily was slowly walking back to her office. She was emotionally drained. She could really use a drink.

She noticed lights on in another office which was unusual for this time of night. Normally, by 6 everyone would leave, especially on days with no national emergencies. She popped her head in the door.

"Hey new girl, you're here late." Kendra looked up from her desk and smiled.

"Just getting ready to head out, actually."

"Do you have a quick minute?" Emily asked. She knew Kendra couldn't keep a secret to save her life, but she also knew Kendra would know the right thing to do.

"For the Chief of Staff? Do I have a choice?" Kendra's tone was light. She made Emily laugh and put her at ease. She closed the door and sat on Kendra's couch.

"Funny," Emily's voice got softer, "How do you get over something that you did for the country but hurt you personally?" Emily looked up Kendra and saw her face fall.

"I'm sorry," Emily started to get up, "it probably doesn't even make any sense."

"No," Kendra exclaimed as she started to move towards the couch, "I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting a personal question."

Emily sat back down. "If you don't feel comfortable…"

"No, please!" Kendra sat next to Emily. "It's hard. I know what you mean. It's definitely difficult." Emily could tell that Kendra was treading carefully. Emily was, after all, her boss.

"The president asked me to do something. It was a matter of national security. Of course I did it, but…" Emily trailed off. She started squeezing her fingers again. "I really hurt people that I care about. I just…"

Kendra nodded, listening intently. "Well, they will just need to regain your trust...and if they can't understand why you did what you did, maybe it's just not meant to be."

Emily smiled and glanced at Kendra. "I don't think they're the problem. It's me. I can't forgive myself."

Kendra squeezed Emily's hand, "Ah, that's the trick. No harm, no foul. Don't beat yourself up. You're good at your job. Everyone knows that, and everyone can see it, so if it doesn't bother them, it shouldn't bother you."

"You're right, thanks," Emily said, standing up, "I won't keep you any longer. Have a good night."

7:30 pm.

Emily sat in her office going over everything Kendra said. She appreciated the advice, but she didn't feel like Kendra understood, which was expected since Emily didn't give her any details.

She knew she should be going through the stack of files on her desk that her deputy pulled for tomorrow, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew they would be the wrong ones. She'd have to put them away and pull the correct ones. She would just have to come in early tomorrow.

"Hey," Aaron called from the door, startling Emily.

"Hey," she said softly, standing from her desk and moving to the couch. "You can come in," she said with a small laugh. Aaron laughed and moved to sit next to her.

"You ok?" Aaron asked as he put a hand on her knee.

Emily nodded. She wished she could tell him what she thought, but she didn't want to be weak, especially in front of Aaron.

"You need to talk to me, Em." She expected him to be annoyed, but his voice was soft, filled with concern and a little hurt. She nodded again, squeezing her fingers. He gave her knee a tiny squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled sadly. She hoped he couldn't see the tears in her eyes.

"I'm just so sorry, Aaron. I didn't mean to hurt you, and I wish I could go back and change it." To her surprise, Aaron laughed gently.

"I know, Em. You've told me three times." Emily smiled at his light tone.

"Tell me what's going on? What are you thinking? I'm not going to get mad." His voice was so soft. She realized in that moment what she felt for the past year.

"I...I just feel so guilty. I know my feelings shouldn't matter. I'm not trying to play the victim, but I hate myself for hurting you, and I just want everything to get better," Emily sniffled without looking at Aaron.

"Hey," Aaron replied softly, "I don't blame you. You were following orders."

"That's just it, Aaron," Emily responded loudly as she stood and faced Aaron, "I just followed orders. I knew it was wrong. I knew it wasn't you. I knew we had something, and I still put everything at risk to follow orders, like a … robot. I'm just Kirkman's robot." Aaron laughed at her and stood, grabbing her arms.

"You're definitely not Kirkman's robot." Aaron laughed again. "I think you just wanted to prove that I was innocent...and maybe get some inside dirt on me."

Emily could tell Aaron was trying to lighten the mood. She sniffled again. "I just don't know how to make this right. Tell me how to make this right." Her voice was soft.

"Forgive yourself, Em. I have," Aaron whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him.


	13. Chapter 13

3:45 am.

Emily groggily turned off her alarm clock. She was so distracted last night that she didn't get any work done, so she refused to let Aaron come over. She needed to get to bed early, so she could wake up early to make up some work. That and her emotions were raw, and she just needed to have a good cry.

Her eyes were red from crying, and no amount of makeup could hide that. She washed her face and put on copious amounts of eye makeup. It would have to do.

5:00 am.

Emily walked into her office, coffee in hand. This was her safe place. She had a job to do, and emotions had no place here. She starting checking the pile of files from her deputy, one by one. Surprisingly, they were all correct.

6:00 am.

Emily was deep into her work, reading through the pension bail-out bill sponsored by the Democrats. She would be briefing the president on it as soon as possible, and she was brainstorming which Republicans to target for support. She checked her email for the corresponding CBO report when she heard a soft knock on her door.

"Aaron, you're here early." Emily was surprised. When Aaron had walked her to her car last night, he said he would be in at 7, his normal time, not that Emily noticed what time he came and went. "Don't tell me there's an emergency?"

"No, no emergency, just couldn't sleep. Here." He handed Emily a coffee cup, and Emily smiled.

"You know you're too good for me, right? You deserve better." Emily laughed to lightened the mood, but her tone and her face were serious. She took a swig and smiled. She drank a lot of coffee. It was the first thing most people noticed about her, but she didn't drink it for the caffeine. There was just something about a hot cup of coffee that was comforting to her.

Aaron chuckled, "I'm not looking for better. I already have the best." Emily's eyes widened, and she couldn't stop herself from laughing, causing Aaron to laugh even more.

7:30 am.

Emily was sitting in the Oval Office discussing the bill with the president when she heard the door open and could immediately feel Aaron's eyes on her. She refused to look at him or acknowledge him for fear of her heart eyes showing in front of the president. The meeting started immediately, and Emily had trouble concentrating, and breathing, by listening to Aaron talk. She really needed to get a grip, but she also trusted Aaron completely, and they rarely disagreed about national security.

As the meeting ended and Aaron stood up to leave, Emily approached the president. "Sir, I have just a couple more things." The president nodded, and Emily could feel Aaron's eyes as he hesitated before he left the room. "A personal matter, sir." Emily's voice was steady and calm. She was in crisis mode.

"Sir, I understand there was a conversation concerning my role in the investigation with the national security advisor. Is there a legal or political issue?"

"No, Emily, there was not." The president leaned against his desk. "Emily, we've known each other a long time. I know there was something going on with you and Aaron. Frankly, I didn't consider it when I gave you the list of names to investigate, and I regret that. I noticed that the dynamic between you and Aaron has changed, and I feel responsible. I wanted to help fix that."

Emily nodded in response. Heat was pooling in her chest, and she could feel it rising up her neck. She was a patient person, a patient Chief of Staff. She rarely lost her cool, but she was angry. Ever since Kirkman became president, they had grown further apart. It wasn't personal. There was just too much that needed to get done, and no time for idle chit-chat.

"I appreciate your concern, sir, but there is nothing to fix. I'll set up the meeting with the Financial Advisory." Emily turned to leave and heard the president sigh behind her.

11:30 am.

Emily had meetings all morning. She hated days like today, back-to-back meetings, no time for a second or third cup of coffee. It also meant that she would probably be here late doing actual work.

Two senators and their aides sat across from her in the conference room discussing a tax reform agenda. Emily opened the file containing their proposals and started taking notes. She turned a page and saw a lime green post-it.

"Dinner? -A"

She couldn't help but smile.

6:30 pm.

Emily finally entered her office. She hadn't been back since lunch to grab some files and was flying from meeting to meeting. She immediately took her shoes off and practically fell into her desk chair. She wanted to go to Aaron's office, but her feet hurt too much, and she was too tired. She picked up her desk phone.

"Hey, can you stop by when you have a chance?" She smiled just from hearing his voice.

Less than five minutes later, Aaron was walking into her office. Would she ever get used to the way he looked at her? He never failed to make her heartbeat or breathing faster. She hoped it wasn't noticeable.

"Hey," he smiled, and Emily could feel herself blush. He stood right next to her chair and leaned against her desk. She could smell his soap, and she breathed in deeper. She held the post-it up. "You," she asked, "or Kirkman?" Aaron laughed in response.

"That one was all me," he said smoothly, looking at her slyly.

"Ah, good." Emily couldn't help but smile. "My place. Bring pizza," she demanded.

"Anything" Aaron responded as he stood up straight, "for My Lady." He bowed towards Emily causing her to laugh.

"Aaron, you're ridiculous."

8:00 pm.

Aaron was standing at her door, pizza in hand. That sight made her very happy.

"I'll get the beer," Emily said as she abandoned Aaron in the doorway. She was starving, and it had taken a lot of willpower to not eat an entire bag of chips while waiting for Aaron.

"So, it was definitely Kirkman?" Aaron asked as Emily opened the beers and set one in front of him before taking a swig of her own.

"Yes, he admitted it today when I confronted him." She sat on the couch close to Aaron. Her leg was against his, and her arm brushed up against his whenever they moved.

"Wasn't my first guess," Aaron responded taking a bite of pizza.

"Yeah, I think we should turn the tables," Emily's voice had a tone in it that she wasn't sure Aaron had heard before.

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked slowly.

"Set Kirkman up. Pretend we aren't together in front of him." Emily smiled at Aaron. She wanted to laugh at the face he was making. He definitely had not seen this side of her, playful.

After deciding their plan for the next morning's meeting, Aaron started cleaning up the remnants of dinner.

"Em, you should get to bed," Aaron's voice was soft. "You look tired."

Emily nodded. She stood up and pulled him with her to her bedroom.

10:00 pm.

Emily was lying in bed next to Aaron, arms touching. She knew she should be sleeping. She hadn't gotten much sleep the past couple of days, and she was up early that morning. Aaron was breathing steadily beside her, indicating he was already asleep. Besides a simple kiss goodnight, Aaron hadn't tried anything intimate. Emily felt disappointed and knew she would be up for a couple hours analyzing everything. Logically, she knew that he was probably just tired, but she was letting her emotions get the best of her, which seemed to be happening quite frequently the past couple of days.


	14. Chapter 14

5:00 am.

Emily could hear her alarm going off in the distance, but she couldn't move. Her bed was extra warm this morning. They weren't touching, but she could feel the heat Aaron gave off. She felt Aaron get out of bed, and heard him turn off the alarm, but she couldn't open her eyes or move. She had spent the majority of the night tossing and turning. Luckily, Aaron had slept through it.

She feel back asleep for a minutes until she felt warmth on her shoulder.

"Em, you gotta wake up," Aaron whispered softly in her ear as he gently shook her. "Here's some coffee." Upon hearing coffee, Emily finally responded. She opened her eyes and groaned as she sat up, taking the cup.

"Mind if I take a shower?" Aaron asked. His hand lingered on her shoulder. "Then I'll drive you to work."

Emily shook her head as she took a sip of coffee and rested her aching head on the head board. She could get used to this, coffee in bed in the morning. It definitely helped to get her moving. She actually didn't want him to drive her to work. What would people think? But she was too tired to worry about it now.

6:30 am.

Aaron walked with Emily to her office. It wasn't necessary, but Emily liked having him there. He made her feel comfortable. He also smelled great.

Aaron closed the door behind him.

"You can't laugh, Emily," he said seriously as he grabbed her hand. "Kirkman won't believe us if you start laughing." Emily pretended to be insulted, "I don't know what you're talking about! I'm not going to laugh …. I'm not going to look at you either." Emily smiled innocently.

Aaron bent his head and kissed her slowly. "Alright then, I'll see you in a little bit," Aaron's voice was husky. Emily wished that they had this moment last night as she watched Aaron walk out of her office. She turned her attention to the stack of files on her desk, double checking them, all wrong, again. Emily audibly sighed. She was hoping they would be correct like yesterday.

7:30 am.

Aaron walked into the Oval Office and sat down on the opposite side of the couch from Emily. "Good morning, Mr. President...Emily." Aaron's tone was icy when he said her name, and Emily instinctively flinched. She hoped she never heard Aaron say her name like that for real.

"There's a border dispute with Mexico again." Aaron spoke quickly, giving the president the details. The same details he had already told Emily last night. "I've set up a meeting with the ambassador for later this morning, and there's a meeting with the Senate counsel this afternoon."

"I think you need to include Secretary Moss," Emily's voice was just as icy as Aaron's. "He is the Secretary of State. I'll bring him in." Emily's tone was condescending, and she hated it.

8:30 am.

The morning security briefing had gone longer than scheduled, and Emily was late to her next meeting. She promptly left the president's office without speaking directly to Aaron. She wanted to keep her personal life separate from her work life, and she wanted that to be clear to the president. This job, the president's job, was much bigger than them, and there was no room for Emily's personal life. She asked her deputy to pull the file on the Mexican ambassador. It was one file. He should be able to handle it.

She walked into Seth's office, where he was reading the Washington Post. "Sorry today's memo is late," Emily said apologetically handing Seth his talking points for the day. "No worries, how are things?"

"Busy," Emily replied, "but no crisis yet." There hadn't been a crisis in a couple of days, and Emily was getting antsy. She felt like something was going to happen soon.

"That's not what I meant, Emily. You look like you haven't slept, and your eyes were all vampire-y yesterday."

Emily rolled her eyes at his comment and turned to leave. "Thanks, Seth. Thanks a lot," she said sarcastically.

10:00 am.

The president was meeting with a Noble Peace Prize winner. Emily had to admit there were interesting aspects of the job. If she was just the chief of staff of HUD, she never would have been able to meet some amazing and inspiring people. They usually made her feel like she wasn't doing enough. There were so many wrongs in the world, but the president could only do so much, and Congress only wanted to do so much.

Her phone buzzed, and she briefly looked at it. It was from Aaron.

"Lunch meeting?"

He was so thoughtful, and he always went out of his way to let Emily know he cared. Emily really didn't deserve him. She should probably step up her game.

12:30 pm.

Emily walked into Aaron's office. She had told him she would be late, but she would meet him for lunch. She expected him to still be working on paperwork, but he wasn't there, so she started walking to her own office.

When she got there, Aaron was coming out.

"Hey, ready for lunch?" he asked. He looked….nervous.

"Yeah," Emily replied giving him a questioning look, "what were you doing in my office?"

"I was just coming back from the Oval Office to drop off some files and stopped by, thought you would be here."

Emily had no problem with Aaron being in her office. His security clearance was just as high as hers, and everything with high security was locked in a filing cabinet anyway. Aaron, however, was acting weird. Was he staring at her nose when he was talking to her?

Emily pushed it out of her mind. She was hungry, and although she wasn't looking forward to the White House mess food. It would have to do. She really should start bringing lunch, but she didn't have time to go grocery shopping or make it.

1:00 pm.

Aaron had walked her back to her office. She had a call with a governor over federal funding, or lack thereof. She sat at her desk, but didn't notice anything unusual. Nothing had changed or been moved since this morning, except for the stack of files for tomorrow's meeting that her deputy had put on her desk. She had started requesting them by noon, so she had time to redo them.

She dialed the governor's number, and picked up the top file. One for one. Her deputy got the first file right. She continued to go through the files while waiting for the governor to join the call.

All good. Emily let out a sigh of relief. Maybe, just maybe, the poor kid was learning.

She heard a faint buzzing and picked up her work work phone, but it was her personal. She spent a few minutes digging through her bag for it. She made a note to call her mother.

Two messages from Aaron. Emily cringed as she realized she never opened his message from the other day. She opened today's message.

"I miss you already. Dinner tonight?" He was sweet. Emily wasn't used to this kind of treatment from guys, but she was loving it. She prided herself on being a feminist, and she usually inserted that into her relationships, but she knew Aaron had an ulterior motive. Aaron knew that if she got off work late or had to get into the office early one morning, she wouldn't eat. Left to her own defenses, she would just chug coffee and grab something quick when she could literally feel herself shaking from low blood sugar. It wasn't that she couldn't take care of herself, but Aaron cared enough about her to make sure she took the time to do it.

"Absolutely. Miss you too." Emily opened the first message. It was simply a winky face emoji that caused her to laugh out loud. It was these little moments during the day that helped her make it through the week.


	15. Chapter 15

4:33 pm.

"Mr. President, Secretary Moss called. He's on his way over. Two Americans are being held hostage in Syria. CIA. I've rescheduled this evening's appointments." There it was. Emily knew it was coming. There was no way she would be leaving the office at a decent hour tonight.

"Thank you, Emily. Has Aaron been informed?"

"Yes, sir. He's on the phone with the Czech ambassador."

"Military?" the president asked as he removed his glasses.

"We're not sure yet, sir." Emily leaned on the arm of the couch as Aaron walked in. "The Czech ambassador is calling his connections. No word from Syria just yet, so we have some time," Aaron added.

"Any press?" Emily asked.

"Not yet, we should try to handle this quietly, but Moss wants to meet with the families." Emily could tell that Aaron was concerned. Despite their constant bickering when they first started working together and his opinion on the importance of housing issues, Emily could tell that Aaron really did care about the country, the president, and the American people, even if he always had a strictly professional attitude with little mention or show of feelings.

"It's their right to know," Moss stated as he entered the room.

"I agree," the president said as he stood.

"I have some contacts on the ground. I would like to take back channels to avoid any press. Press will be our number one deterrent with Syria," Moss explained.

"I trust you will handle this," the president replied, "let me know if anything escalates. You have the official sign off."

6:00 pm.

Emily was in the Oval Office updating both the president and Aaron on Moss's plan.

"Let's hope this doesn't take us to the situation room," the president sighed, "Emily, bring Seth up to date just in case."

"Yes, sir," Emily replied as she left the Oval Office.

Emily walked down the hallway to the press secretary's office. Her feet hurt, and she just felt generally uncomfortable. The waistband of her skirt was digging into her waist, and her blouse button kept coming undone, forcing her to keep her jacket on all day.

"Hey, Seth." Emily's voice was soft as she shut the door to his office and slumped into a chair.

"I'm not liking the looks of this," Seth replied. "You look awful."

"Thanks, Seth. Two CIA agents taken hostage in Syria. No press coverage yet, and we're trying to keep it that way. Press will just hinder any advancements. Syrian government doesn't know yet."

"Ok, good to know. Stick around?" Seth asked casually.

"Yeah, we're waiting to hear from our intel on the ground." Emily tried to stifle a yawn.

"Why don't you take a nap? Your vampire eyes are coming back." Seth chuckled as Emily threw him a dirty look.

"You're the worst," Emily shot back as she stood up. "I'll get you your memo." Emily turned to leave as Seth called after her, "Forget the memo, find your coffin."

"You're not funny, Seth," Emily replied, rolling her eyes, as she exited his office.

7:30 pm.

Emily had just finished up the memo for Seth and had rearranged the schedule for the week when Aaron walked in.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she smiled up at him as she started to go through the files her deputy put on her desk. Wrong again. She was so exhausted.

"Our ground intel is preparing to go in. They are about 5 hours out. I'll notify you and the president when they're 1." Aaron explained as he walked further into her office.

"Ok," Emily sighed as her phone rang.

"Hello...I'll be there in a minute," Emily said into the phone.

"Sorry, Aaron, the president calls." She got up from her desk.

"Emily, please don't be mad at me." Aaron's face looked worried. Emily just laughed.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Emily asked as she walked by him and out of her office not giving him a chance to respond.

7:35 pm.

"Mr. President, what can I do for you?" Emily asked as she entered the Oval Office.

"Please, have a seat," the president gestured to the couch as Emily's stomach did a flip-flop. Last time the president said that, he told her that he picked Aaron to be his chief of staff. She didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Aaron told me, and I just wanted to say that I'm happy for you," the president said as he sat down across from her.

"Aaron told you what exactly?" Emily asked quizzically.

"About your relationship." The president took his glasses off. "I was worried about you, and I kept asking Aaron until he finally caved. Now, catch a nap before we're due in the situation room."

Emily laughed and shook her head as she headed to get some coffee.

7:45 pm.

Emily walked into Aaron's office, handing him a coffee. "Any word from the ground?"

"Not yet," Aaron replied. He hesitated, and Emily was sure he was wondering if the president told her that Aaron told him that they were together. Emily turned and started walking out of his office. Her office was much more comfortable, and she really needed to take off her shoes. "So you told the president we're together. Couldn't keep it quiet for one day?" Emily's tone was teasing, and she knew that Aaron would follow her.

She walked down the hall to her office, and Aaron caught up with her. She took a sip of her own coffee. "I'm not mad," she said with an amused look. Aaron smirked in response.

As soon as they reached her office, Emily sank into her couch and flipped her shoes off. She winced as she could feel her bra poke her. "I'm sorry about spilling the beans," Aaron said quietly as he sat down beside her. "Are you going to consume something besides coffee?" he asked.

"I'm not hungry," Emily replied.

"Not now but you will be when you smell food. I'll order you something."

8:30 pm.

Emily had made the painful move from her couch to her desk to get some work done when Aaron walked in with Chinese food.

"Hungry yet?" he asked teasingly. Emily just rolled her eyes at him. She had taken off her suit jacket. She couldn't stand it anymore, and she noticed Aaron looked down at where her top button should be buttoned, but she figured it popped open again. She was glad Aaron had self-control because if he kissed her right now, she would be a puddle on the floor.

Emily cleared her throat to get his attention. "Have you read bill HR 862?"

"No," Aaron replied, "does it deal with national security?"

"You could say that." Emily got up and moved towards the table where the food was. Aaron knew her well. She couldn't deny that. She was hungry now that she could smell the food.

"Proposal to build a border wall on the Mexican border," Emily explained. She watched him closely to see his reaction. He was a democrat and a Mexican-American, but he tried to keep his advice to the president neutral and strictly based on the value of national security. She admired that he was able to do that.

Aaron smirked as he picked up a box and handed it to her. "The budget will never get approved for that."

"The budget will never get approved for what?" Seth asked as he strode into Emily's office grabbing a takeout container. Emily missed this. The three of them. They were all thrown into this together, and they were all friends. It was nice to have coworkers that Emily actually got along with.

1:30 am.

"Hey, Seth," Emily called as she walked into her office. "All clear. Agents out. They land on U.S. soil late morning." Seth groggily sat up on Emily's couch.

"Good. Good," Seth mumbled.

"Do you need me to call you a cab?" Emily asked as she started packing her bag. Seth shook his head as he hoisted himself off her couch and out of her office. She chuckled as she met Aaron at her office door.

"I can take a cab," she offered. Aaron looked tired.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'll drive you home, but I have to stop at my apartment first," Aaron replied rubbing her arm. Emily was more than happy with that. That meant he was staying the night, what was left of it anyway.

2:30 am.

Emily unlocked her apartment door as she yawned. "You can go to bed," she said softly, "I'm going to take a quick shower." Aaron gave her a quick kiss before shuffling towards the bedroom. Emily setup the coffee maker for the morning before she followed.

She stood in the doorway of her bedroom, leaning on the door frame. Aaron was sound asleep. She could get used to seeing him in her bed. She was still buzzing from the situation. She decided to go for a quick run. She doubted Aaron would wake up, and she grabbed her mace just in case.


	16. Chapter 16

3:30am.

Emily closed her front door quietly behind her in hopes of not waking Aaron. She tiptoed to the bedroom, where Aaron was still asleep. She knew Aaron would yell at her if he knew what she did, but she desperately needed a good run. She quietly shut the bathroom door behind her and started the shower. She was still awake, and she wondered if she should even go to sleep as she let the hot water rain down on her.

3:40 am.

Emily gently slid into bed beside Aaron. She was hoping he would at least acknowledge her presence, but he didn't budge. She couldn't blame him, but she also couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. She closed her eyes and willed herself to fall asleep.

5:15 am.

"Em, are you getting up?" Aaron's voice was urgent, like he had been shaking her for a while, but Emily just started to wake at his persistent jostling. "Your coffee is getting cold. It's 5:15," he added.

At the mention of the time, Emily got up quickly. She knew she should have gotten more sleep last night, but she just wasn't tired. She took a gulp of coffee and went to her closet to get dressed.

6:30 am.

Emily could feel Aaron giving her worried glances all morning. She tried to wear enough concealer, but she knew Aaron could tell how tired she was by the way she was acting. "I'll get you some coffee," Aaron said softly as he left her on her to go to her office. Emily felt like a walking zombie. She sat at her desk and tried to focus on preparing for the day.

8:15 am.

Emily felt better as she walked back to her office from her morning meetings. She already had two cups of coffee this morning and was feeling like she could sustain her energy. She took a seat at her desk and continued to go through the bill to construct a border wall.

She looked up when she heard a soft knock at her door. "Hey new girl," Emily said brightly.

"Hey, I heard about your late night. Figured you could use some of these," Kendra said with a smile as she held up a paper bag and a cup of coffee. Emily couldn't help but smile. "Are those donuts? Tell me those are donuts."

"They are" Kendra replied as she placed the food in front of Emily.

"Seth told you?" Emily asked nonchalantly which caused Kendra to blush and nod shyly. Emily knew what was going on between Seth and Kendra, but she wanted one of them to tell her. She was surprised that Kendra hadn't mentioned it yet since she was awful at keeping secrets.

10:30 am.

Emily looked up from her desk as Aaron walked in. She still couldn't get over what looking at him did to her. "Hey," he said softly. Emily smiled in response. She could listen to him talk forever. "You ok? You don't look too good?" He sounded concerned, and she knew her eyes gave away how tired she was.

"I'm good. Mentally, I feel really good. Physically, I could probably just drop to the floor." She gave a small laugh.

"Well, maybe we can get out of here early tonight. I'll get you dinner and put you to bed, so you can get your sleep."

"Hmm." Emily smiled suspiciously at him. She could think of many ways that would guarantee a good night of sleep. She bite her lip as she allowed her eyes to scan Aaron's physique. She knew Aaron could tell what she was thinking by his glances at her lips.

Emily quickly cleared her throat as Seth walked in her office behind Aaron. "Do you have the memo for today?" he asked.

"Uh, its right here," Emily replied holding it out for Seth to take. She glanced at Aaron who had dropped his gaze to the floor and shifted nervously.

12:30 pm.

Emily had debated taking a nap on her couch during lunch, but she figured the more work she got done at lunch the faster she could go home. She was starting to feel delirious from the lack of sleep.

She had a meeting with Seth at 3 to draft statements on the president's opinion of the bills being introduced to Congress. The director of the CIA was due at two to update the president and Aaron on any national security issues, which luckily Emily would not be attending. The president was supportive of them all leaving at 5 since they worked so late the night before. That was the goal, but Emily knew they would probably be later than that.

She started going through the files for tomorrow. All wrong again. Emily was not in the mood to deal with this. She was about to call in her deputy when Aaron walked into her office.

"Does Ryan know anything about border security?" Aaron asked her hotly. Emily took it he read the border bill. She continued to look at Aaron, knowing he would continue. "The majority of immigrants come by plane not through the checkpoints on the border."

Emily nodded, "I know, and the president does not support this bill."

"When is your meeting with Ryan?" Aaron demanded.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Emily replied simply.

"I'll be there."

"Are you sure that's the best idea, Aaron?" Emily asked softly. She didn't want Aaron to undermine his position as the national security advisor.

"I'll be there," Aaron repeated. She nodded and stood up slowly.

"If you will excuse me, I have to have a word with my deputy." Emily's voice was icy. She was sure Aaron noticed, but she was too tired to care, and she was too tired to put on her professional facade.

"Em, maybe you should do this another day. Nothing good will come from talking to him right now." Emily gave him an icy glare.

"Everyday, Aaron, the files are wrong everyday. It's not that hard." Emily grabbed the files off her desk and started walking to her door.

"Em, why haven't you replaced him yet?" Aaron stepped in front of her, so she had to stop. She was ready to cry. It was because of the lack of sleep, but she didn't want to cry in front of Aaron, so she turned around and dropped the files on the table.

"It was the president's idea. I can't just demote him." Emily kept her back to Aaron and sighed heavily. She felt Aaron come up behind her.

"I'll take care of these," he said softly as he reached for the files. She could smell him close to her and felt his arm brush hers. She shut her eyes and breathed him in, letting his smell soothe her.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: after last night's episode, I need all the emron. Hope this helps some of you deal with this awful term of events ;)**

2:00 pm.

The director of the CIA was meeting with the president and Aaron. Emily was glad she was excluded from this meeting, and she trusted Aaron would update her if anything was needed.

She continued to go through the new pile of files on her desk. Most of them were correct, but some of them were still wrong. She sighed and continued sorting through them, putting the incorrect ones back into the filing cabinet and pulling the correct ones.

She heard a soft buzzing coming from her bag underneath her desk. When she retrieved her personal phone, she was relieved to see it was a message from Aaron and not a call from her mother.

"Pizza tonight?" Emily felt herself smile as she fell into her desk chair. She felt so lucky that Aaron got her.

"Do you even have to ask?" She replied quickly.

3:00 pm.

Seth knocked on the door loudly before entering Emily's office, coffee in hand.

"This is from Kendra," Seth said placing the cup next to Emily at the table.

"Ah, she's the best," Emily replied with a twinkle in her eye. She was watching Seth for some hint that he would reveal to her what she already knew. He sat down across from her. "Did you read every bill yourself?" he asked, wide-eyed looking at all the papers spread out before him.

"Yes," Emily shrugged.

"Don't you have assistants for that? Some of these are a thousand pages!" He thumbed through the closest one. Emily slipped off her shoes under the table and rested her legs on the chair next to her.

"Here are the talking points," Emily said, handing him a stack of papers before she took a sip of coffee. She continued flipping through the loosely bound papers in front of her.

"Does the president support any of these bills?" Seth asked incredulously.

"He doesn't want things snuck in. Say something like the president wants transparency with all bills. That sounds awful. I don't know. You're the writer," Emily rambled as she took another swig of coffee.

"Well, the transparency bit was good," Seth laughed as Aaron walked in.

"Hey," Aaron greeted both, but his eyes were on Emily, "all clear from the CIA director. Recommends redeploying."

"Thanks, Aaron," Emily smiled up at him, "Any word from the Secretary of State?" She flipped the page of the bill she was reading.

"No," Aaron replied as he rested his hands on his belt, exposing his dress shirt. Emily could see his muscles working and bit her lip. She was much better pretending he didn't affect her when she had more than a couple hours of sleep. Emily thought it was strange that the Secretary of State didn't respond to the meeting request, but she was too tired to give it much more thought. Aaron's phone rang, and Emily watched him leave.

5:00 pm.

Emily checked her personal phone. She couldn't say what made her do it, but she saw another message from Aaron, exactly what she was hoping.

"No more coffee today." Emily laughed. That all depended on if there was an emergency or not. She hoped there wasn't, but she never knew with this job. As if on cue, her phone buzzed. She immediately answered and grabbed her jacket as she headed to the Oval Office.

"Mr. President?" Emily asked.

"Emily, good, you're here," the president replied as he gestured for her to sit. "We need to get ahead of Russia. They're supporting Syria with their capture of CIA."

Emily's head was spinning a little as she sat down and Aaron walked in. "I can't get a hold of Secretary Moss or his chief of staff."

7:30 pm.

"I'm not going to make it," Emily said softly as she settled into Aaron's passenger seat.

"That's ok," he replied, "I'll wake you up when we get home."

She leaned her hard back against the seat and watched him with a smile. He said home.

She must have dozed off. The next thing she knew, Aaron was gently shaking her.

"Em, I can't carry you and the pizza," Aaron said softly.

"Mmm." Emily slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head up.

"And I don't have a key," Aaron added with a smirk. Was he hinting at something? Did he want a key? He did call her place home earlier? Emily was too groggy to put the pieces together. She grabbed her bag and got out of the car, rummaging for her keys.

9:00 pm.

"Thanks, Aaron," Emily said quietly as Aaron cleaned up the leftovers from dinner.

"Let's get you to bed," Aaron smiled as he reached for her hand. She returned the gesture and let him pull her off the couch, close to him. She lifted her head and gave him a quick kiss.

"Yes, let's. Don't judge me," she said as she turned toward her bedroom. Aaron burrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Why would I judge you," he asked as they walked down the hallway. Emily didn't answer, but when they got to her bedroom, she turned towards him and started undressing. When she was down to her underwear, she started undressing Aaron. She inwardly laughed at the look on his face, a mix between confused and surprised. When Aaron was down to his boxers, she pulled him onto the bed with her, pushing her body into his.

"I'm too tired to brush my teeth," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"I think one night is ok," Aaron responded. He kissed the side of her head and held her close. She turned her head and kissed his neck. She thought she heard him moan softly. She lifted her head and kissed his lips, as he rolled her onto her back. He cupped her face as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, causing Emily to moan. He leaned his forehead against hers as he broke their kiss. His breathing was heavy, and she could feel him pressing up against her. "Em," he whispered, "you need to sleep." Aaron rolled onto his side and pulled Emily close to him. Emily knew he was right, but after that kiss, she was wide awake.


	18. Chapter 18

3:30 am.

Emily turned over and looked at her phone. She was planning on sleeping in until 5 this morning, but apparently her body had another plan. She looked over at Aaron, sleeping peacefully with his arm draped over her waist. His breath was deep and even, so she lifted his arm up gently and scooted out of bed.

She walked to the closet and dressed for a run. Before she left her bedroom, she took one last look at Aaron. She walked to the kitchen and pulled her spare key out of her junk drawer and left it on the counter.

5:00 am.

Emily unlocked her apartment door and slipped in trying to be as quiet as possible. She was hoping that Aaron was still asleep. She slipped off her shoes and started the coffee maker. She grabbed a bottle of water and went to the bedroom.

Emily froze when she got to the doorway.

"Hey, good morning," she said cheerfully. Aaron was sitting on the edge of the bed in nothing but his boxers. Emily bit her lip again.

"Where did you go?" Aaron asked. His voice sounded concerned.

"I just went for a quick run."

"A quick run? You were gone an hour and half. And at 3:30 in the morning? Em, that's not safe." Aaron hung his head in his hands.

"Aaron," Emily said softly causing him to look up. She walked over to him and put a hand on his bare shoulder. She held up the mace in her hand and shook it before tossing it into the bed and straddling him.

"Next time, you should come with me," Emily teased before kissing him.

"Next time, you should wake me up," Aaron smirked, squeezing her and returning her kiss. Aaron buried his head into Emily's shoulder and smelled her hair. "We should get to work," he said as he stood up and placed her gently on the ground, kissing her cheek. Emily sighed and turned towards the bathroom to shower.

8:15 am.

It was quite the morning already, and although Emily got more sleep last night, she was feeling exhausted. She walked quickly to her office and shut the door. This day could not be over soon enough. She sat at her desk and kicked off her shoes. She took a sip of cold coffee and cringed. She started going through files when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," Emily called as she closed the file and put it back on the top of the stack.

"Hey, Emily," Kendra said tightly.

"Oh no. I don't like that tone," Emily replied shaking her head. "You could have at least brought me donuts, Ken."

Kendra laughed, "I'll remember that for next time. The Attorney General of Virginia is suing the president."

12:00 pm.

Emily looked up as Aaron walked into her office.

"I know you're busy, so I brought you lunch." Aaron held up the bag in his hand before placing it in front of Emily. She smiled up at him.

"Is that coffee also for me?" Emily asked sweetly, noticing the cup in Aaron's other hand. Aaron chuckled, "of course." He put the cup down next to her lunch.

"I'm heading over to the Pentagon, but I'll be back later this afternoon." Emily smiled at him as she stood up and closed her office door.

"I know," Emily said turning back to Aaron.

"You know?" Aaron asked with a smirk, walking towards her.

"The Chief of Staff knows everything," Emily replied with a smirk of her own. Aaron leaned down and kissed her gently.

"See you later."

2:45 pm.

Emily stood in the back of the press room, half listening to questions from reporters and Seth's answers. She still hadn't received the files for tomorrow from her deputy, and she was getting annoyed.

"Thank you, that's all for today," Seth announced. Upon hearing that, Emily exited the press room without looking up from her phone and continued to her office. Her deputy was nowhere to be found, but luckily, the files were on her desk. She sat back and continued answering emails on her phone. She tried to keep one day each week meeting free for herself, so she could catch up on paperwork.

"Emily, did you see this?" Seth asked as he barged into Emily's office and turning on her tv. She gave a little groan and dropped her phone on her desk.

"...Rhoades, White House Chief of Staff, showed up in a button down dress to today's press conference. Fashionable? Or disorderly?"

"Please shut this off," Emily said as she dropped her head into her hands. "We should be grateful. Must be a slow news cycle."

"Should I release a statement?" Seth asked, earning him a hard stare from Emily.

"No, this administration is focused on policies to improve the lives of American citizens. They'll be talking about something else tomorrow." She glanced up at the muted television. "Casual dress means casual policy at the White House," scrolled across the bottom of the screen. Emily sighed. "I'll go apologize to the president."

6:30 pm.

Emily returned to her office and dropped more files on her table. Of course, the president wanted nothing to do with Emily's apologies about her dress. He was more concerned about potential VP picks. They went through this every couple of months or so. He would come up with some candidates, narrow them down with Emily, and then have them vetted by Aaron. Something always came up though. The president was taking zero risks. They couldn't afford to have a MacLeish repeat.

Emily put her laptop in her bag and grabbed her coat and files. She just wanted to go home and relax with Aaron. She walked into his office and dropped the files onto his desk.

"More VP candidates to vet," Emily said softly.

"Will do." Aaron moved the files to a stack on his desk. "Ready to go?" he asked as he stood and grabbed his coat.

"Yes," Emily sighed. She led him out of his office, and they started walking to the parking lot.

"You ok?" he asked quietly, aware of other staffers still present. Emily nodded. Aaron opened his passenger door for her, but grabbed her arm before she got in.

"You look gorgeous in that dress," he whispered into her ear. She could feel the heat pooling in her belly as she looked into his eyes. He quickly kissed her cheek and got into the driver's side.

"What do you want for dinner?" Aaron asked as he put his hand on her knee, causing her to forget to breathe for a second.

8:15 pm.

Emily picked up the leftover Chinese food containers on the coffee table and put them in the refrigerator, leaving Aaron on the couch. She stood in front of the counter and saw the key she took out earlier that morning. She flipped it over.

At work, if Emily wanted something, she made it happen. In relationships, she was usually more passive, but she hadn't been with Aaron since their first night together, and she desperately wanted to be with him again. She couldn't stand going to bed disappointed again. She felt like he barely touched her since that first night, and when he did, she was the one initiating it.

"Hey Aaron," she said calmly as she walked out of the kitchen, "Do you want me?" She knew Aaron understood what she meant because he coughed up a little of the beer he was drinking.

"Emily, of course I do," replied standing up. He looked worried, so Emily smiled.

"You do realize you're going to have to touch me then?" she questioned as she walked towards him, unbuttoning her dress as she went. He watched her. She could feel his eyes on her, and she felt empowered. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him as he kissed her. He pulled away to lift her gently and carried her to her bedroom.

9:00 pm.

Emily was draped across Aaron and buried her face into his neck. Being with Aaron was exactly what Emily wanted. He was gently stroking her bare back, and it felt so right.

"Em, I worry about you," Aaron said softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Aaron, you used to be the Chief of Staff, and you survived," Emily mumbled.

"Yes, but you don't sleep, and 90% of your diet is coffee," Aaron's voice was teasing, but Emily knew he was serious.

"Aaron, I appreciate your concern," Emily said looking up at him, "but there are other things I need other than sleep and food." He was staring at her lips again. She sat up, so she was straddling him.

"I need you, Aaron," she said softly before kissing him.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: 2x06 made me really sad over emron, so the next couple of chapters have a lot of fluff.**

4:00 am.

Emily didn't know what time it was. She didn't remember if she set an alarm last night, and she didn't care. She could feel her legs entangled with Aaron's, and she could feel his arm wrapped around her. His body heat seeped into her, and she softly moaned as he kissed along her shoulder and up her neck.

"Em," he whispered in her ear. If he did not see this through to completion, Emily was going to be in a very cranky mood for the rest of the day. She was expecting him to tell her to wake up, that it's time to go to work, but instead he rolled her onto her back and started kissing the other side of her neck. She moaned softly again.

5:00 am.

"Aaron?" Emily asked softly. Her head was on his shoulder, and she was slightly out of breath.

"Mmm," he replied playing with her fingers.

"I don't want to go to work," Emily admitted. He started playing with her hair with his hand that wasn't playing with her fingers. He kissed her softly on the head.

"I don't want to get out of this bed ever, as long as you're in it." He got a soft chuckle from Emily. She sat up reluctantly covering herself with one of the throw blankets that she kept on the bed. She was surprised Aaron had never commented about the state of her bed. Most guys did. She had the standard number of pillows, but she had blankets everywhere. She also had blankets all over her apartment. Aaron just accepted it, just like he accepted her.

"I'll drive myself today. I have to go to Capitol Hill," Emily said as she got out of bed.

"You can just take my car," Aaron said with a smirk as he got out of bed and stood behind her, giving her another kiss on her shoulder.

6:30 am.

Aaron walked Emily to her office. She didn't mind, but their cover for most of the staff was that they carpooled. Emily was sure that Aaron walking her to her office would raise suspicion, but they were typically the first ones to arrive in the morning. The president knew about their relationship, and Emily thought Seth might know, but the press and the staff hadn't realized yet.

"I'll leave these with you," Aaron said softly as he handed her his keys.

"Thanks," she said smiling. She dropped her bag on her desk chair as Aaron shut her door.

"Have a good day, ok?" Aaron whispered taking her into his arms. Emily wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ok," she said as she kissed him softly.

10:00 am.

Emily grabbed her bag and Aaron's keys and headed out of her office.

"Steve, I'm going to Capitol Hill if anyone is looking for me."

"Ok." Emily could tell that Steve was hiding his personal phone under his desk. She laughed inwardly. He thought she had no idea.

12:00 pm.

Emily stopped by Aaron's office with lunch, but he wasn't at his desk. She left the sandwich on his desk and made her way back to her own office only to find Aaron sitting on the couch waiting for her.

"Shut the door," Aaron said. She could hear hurt in his voice, so she did what she was told.

"You know," Emily stated.

"The president told me, inadvertently of course. Do you want to tell me what's going on?" The tone in his voice and the look of hurt on his face made Emily want to cry. Emily sighed and sat down next to Aaron.

"I saw a therapist," Emily said quietly as she put her head in her hands.

Aaron nodded, "The president just said it was a doctor's appointment, and since you hadn't mentioned it, I thought something might be wrong. You've been tired lately and haven't been yourself." She sensed he was relieved, but still hurt that she hadn't confided in him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Aaron. Kendra recommended it. To help with the guilt I've been feeling. About you." Emily sat back on the couch slouching. Her and Kendra had become quite close. She never outwardly told Kendra about Aaron and the investigation, but she told her how she was feeling.

"I want you to know that you can tell me anything, Em, just like the old days."

She nodded. "I know. I just don't want you to think I'm weak." She refused to look at him. If she did, she would probably cry.

"Em, I know you well enough to know that you are the complete opposite of weak." He reached out and grabbed her hand. She squeezed it in response.

She felt her guilt growing. She was trying to figure out how to tell him the whole truth, but she didn't know what to say. She was saved by the ringing of Aaron's phone.

2:00 pm.

Emily got absolutely nothing done since her conversation with Aaron. She hadn't been able to focus, and her guilt was growing. She finished checking her files for tomorrow, which were surprisingly correct for the second day in a row, before making her way to Aaron's office.

She leaned on the door frame waiting for him to get off the phone.

"Hey," he said smiling at her. She stepped into his office and closed the door.

"Aaron, we need to talk," she said softly. She watched his eyebrows furrow together in concern.

"What's up?" He moved around to the front of his desk and leaned on it as she sat down.

"I…" She was cut off by the running of his phone.

"Sorry, Em. Can we talk about this later?" Emily gave him a small smile and nodded. He dipped down and quickly kissed her cheek before rushing out of his office.

Emily sighed and stood up.

5:30 pm.

Emily was unable to focus on the bill she was trying to read. She checked her personal phone. Nothing. She hadn't heard from Aaron since this afternoon. She flipped the bill closed and stood up.

She walked out of her office and to the place she knew she could get some good advice.

"Hey, Ken. You have a minute?" Emily asked as she knocked.

"Of course! I'm just waiting for Se...someone to return a call." Kendra dipped her head down, and Emily laughed as she sat down.

"How's it going?" Emily asked.

"Good," Kendra said as she joined Emily on the couch.

"You really like the job, don't you?"

"Yeah, it's the government's job to protect and help people. It's my job to make sure they're doing it legally." Kendra raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. You don't have to remind me every time you see me. Have you ever had a job you didn't like?" Emily asked with a laugh.

7:30 pm.

Emily left Kendra's office when Seth came, ready to go home. She made her way to her own office, where Aaron was waiting for her.

"Hey," he said softly, "ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me grab my bag," Emily replied. Aaron stood up from the couch and waited as she grabbed her laptop and put it into her bag. Aaron grabbed her coat and helped her into it, pulling her in for a quick kiss.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said softly. Emily nodded and grabbed his hand.

"Come on. Let's get some food."

8:30 pm.

After stopping at Aaron's place for clothes and getting takeout. Emily sat on her couch leaning into Aaron. She knew she should bring up their conversation earlier, but she didn't know how, so she waited for Aaron to bring it up.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Em. Is everything ok?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just…I don't know...I don't think I'm good enough for this job."

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Em. You're perfect for it. You know how to read people, and you know politics. You keep the president in line." He squeezed her shoulders.

"Yeah, I know, but I hate the politics part. I feel like I'm always manipulating someone or bribing them." Aaron shifted so he was turned towards her now.

"That's negoatiating. Sometimes, the means justify the ends." Aaron's voice was soft. Aaron was much more of a risk taker than Emily was.

"Aaron, I don't know if it's worth it. I'm tired all the time, stressed. We still haven't been on any dates because we're hiding from the press, and I feel like I'm becoming corrupt."

"Hey," Aaron leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, "we can go on a date, and maybe you should take a day off to think about it. I might be biased, but I love working with you and seeing you everyday, and you're not becoming corrupt. I'm sure Kendra would let you know if you are." Emily smiled at his response as she stood up and tugged his hand for him to follow. She pushed her body against his and kissed him softly. "I do like seeing you everyday, and since there hasn't been a date, maybe you can make it up to me in another way." Aaron picked her up gently. "Say no more, My Lady." Emily laughed as Aaron carried her into her bedroom.


	20. Chapter 20

1:30 am.

Emily knew that they should have went to sleep a couple of hours ago, but Aaron was too irresistible, especially when he touched her exactly the way she liked.

"Em," Aaron said softly, "I think you should do what's best for you, but I might need your help with something." His fingers were mindlessly rubbing her arm.

Emily could hear the worry in his voice. "Aaron, what is it?" Emily rolled onto her stomach to look into Aaron's eyes.

"I want to investigate Secretary Moss. I don't want to bring it to the president's attention yet."

"Obviously, why do you want to do this?" Emily could feel the concern written all over her face.

"Something doesn't feel right. His schedule isn't adding up. The only thing that matches with his travel are his trips to the White House. I started looking into it when we couldn't reach him the other day. I looked up his schedule which said he was meeting with a foreign ambassador in the State House, but his plane was gone."

"Okay, have you done anything else yet?" Emily asked slowly.

"No, just looked at his schedule. I'm sorry, Em. I don't mean to drag you into this, especially after what you said earlier, but you're the only one I trust, and I know this could complicate things for you." Emily laughed and moved on top of him.

"You sure have a lot to make up to me tonight," she said seductively, earning a smile and a kiss from Aaron.

5:45 am.

"Shit. Aaron, wake up!" Emily yelled as she rolled out of bed and to her closet, grabbing the first skirt she saw.

"Aaron, we were supposed to leave 15 minutes ago." She heard Aaron groan and get out of bed as she buttoned her blouse. She bent down to grab her shoes and felt Aaron behind her. "We should stay home today." His voice was husky, and Emily quickly put her shoes on and left her closet before she was persuaded to ditch work. "Let's go, Aaron."

6:50 am.

"I'll have Steve bring you some coffee," Aaron said quietly as Emily rushed to her office, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Please, no. He makes awful coffee. I don't even know what he does to it." The pained look on Emily's face made Aaron laugh and caused Emily to spin on her heel and continue to her office. "It's not funny, Aaron," Emily scolded.

"I'll make it and have him bring it to you," Aaron said with a smirk. "That I can get behind," Emily said giving Aaron a quick kiss before moving to her desk.

7:00 am.

Emily walked into the Oval Office, coffee in hand. "Good Morning, Mr. President, here's your schedule for today," Emily said as she handed him one of the folders in her hands.

"Good morning, Emily. Can you make some time to meet with Secretary Moss?"

"Absolutely, I might be able to fit him in at 11," Emily responded coolly.

7:30 am.

Aaron walked into the Oval Office. Emily would have been able to tell it was him, even if this wasn't the president's morning routine. She still refused to look at him during these meetings, but Aaron knew it was in the face of professionalism, and he liked to tease her about it outside of work.

"Morning, Mr. President. Emily." Emily could hear the tiredness in his voice and inwardly smiled.

"There's movement in North Korea. Intelligence in South Korea is evaluating. We're thinking it's another missile test."

9:00 am.

Emily was still trying to read the bill from yesterday when her personal phone buzzed.

"I miss you." She smiled at Aaron's message. She might not be sure about her job, but she was confident and certain about her relationship with Aaron.

"I miss you, too." She responded quickly. She flipped a page of the bill. Maybe she should just get her assistant to read it. Her phone buzzed again.

"Do you have a minute?"

"Sure." She replied. Emily leaned back in her chair. She hadn't had much motivation the past two days. She had only been doing the bare minimum and leaving everything else. She stood up as Aaron came in, closing the door behind him.

"Hey," his voice was relaxed as he hugged her tightly.

"Everything ok?" Emily asked.

"Mhmm," he answered still holding onto her tight, "I just miss you, and I thought about what you said last night. Maybe, we should just run away." Emily pulled back so she could see his face. She could tell he was joking, but if he didn't have a sense of commitment to this president, he would leave if it's what she wanted. She kissed him softly. "Don't tempt me." Her voice was soft, and she could feel her resolve melting from the way he was looking at her. Nothing else mattered. It was just him and her.

"The president asked for a meeting with Moss. It's at 11," Emily whispered.

"I might stay late to look into it more," Aaron whispered back as he pulled away from her completely to pull his keys out of his pocket. "You drive home. I'll get a cab. I don't know how late I'll be." Emily frowned at that. "Ok," she answered as she pulled him close to her again.

12:00 pm.

Emily's head was still spinning from the meeting between the president and Moss. She went to Aaron's office directly, only to find it empty. She trudged back to her office turning over in her head everything that she heard. She checked her personal phone. No messages from Aaron. She sighed and leaned her head back. She picked it back up when she heard a soft knock.

"Hey, Kendra. What's up?" Emily smiled at her friend.

"I have some bad news. It's about the Virginia lawsuit. There's a subpoena for you and Aaron. I'm going to court tomorrow. I don't think it will hold." Kendra gave Emily a reassuring smile.

"That's fantastic news." Emily couldn't keep the sarcasm back. As if on cue, Aaron walked in with coffee and lunch.

"Oh, Aaron, you are the best," Emily sighed. "Also, Kendra just informed me that we're being subpoenaed in the Virginia lawsuit."

"But don't worry," Kendra explained, "I don't think it will stand."

"Well, it was a matter of national security," Aaron scuffed.

6:30 pm.

It was a long day, and Emily was exhausted. She left the office early and was hoping to get to bed early tonight, but she doubted that would happen. Her phone buzzed as she pulled into a parking spot at her building.

"Get some sleep." Emily smiled and sighed. Aaron was always unnecessarily worried about her. She would definitely be sleeping.

"Ok. I'll leave the leftover pizza in the fridge and the door open." She mentally berated herself for forgetting to give him the spare key to her place.

11:30 pm.

Emily groaned as she felt the bed move and rolled over. "What time is it?" she grumbled.

"11:30. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Aaron whispered as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Did you find anything?" she asked as she snuggled closer to him and kissed his bare chest.

"Nothing substantial." Aaron turned towards her and cupped her face, kissing her gently and tracing her bottom lip with his tongue.

"Aaron," Emily said breathlessly, "you need sleep." With that, Emily rolled over and went back to sleep, using his own moves against him.


	21. Chapter 21

3:30 am.

Emily woke up with Aaron's arm wrapped tightly around her. She hated that she could never sleep in, even if she was exhausted. She contemplated going for a run as she rolled over and faced Aaron. He smelled so good, and although she tried to teach him a lesson last night, she was really just frustrating herself. She rolled again to be on top of him and kissed him with the intent of waking him up.

5:00 am.

"We should get up," Aaron said lamely.

"We are up," Emily replied teasing him.

"We should get ready for work," he said before kissing her softly.

"I'm going to take a shower." Emily smiled at him seductively. She was craving a day off from work. She wanted to spend an entire day with Aaron and not have to worry about anything else. They were both overdue for a day off. Emily was grateful it was at least Friday. The president had a shortened schedule for tomorrow and nothing was planned for Sunday. Emily was hoping that nothing popped up. She also really needed to go to the dry cleaners, and she felt bad asking her assistant do it.

6:30 am.

Emily could feel Aaron's eyes on her from his spot on her couch. She dug a file out from a stack on her desk and handed it to Aaron. "I found this yesterday. Numerous calls between Moss and Vogel, ranging from a few seconds to twenty minutes." Emily's voice was hushed. "I'll try to grab the transcripts if there are any," Emily added. She crossed her arms and leaned on her desk.

"Moss could just be handling Vogel on this lawsuit," Aaron said as he flipped through the file.

"Why? What interest does the Secretary of State have for domestic issues?" Emily questioned.

"Maybe, he's doing the president a favor," Aaron shrugged. He looked at Emily, and she could tell he didn't believe that. Aaron had great instincts, and if he felt something was off, it probably was. After finding the phone records, Emily also felt like something was off.

"I have the morning briefing. See you soon," Emily replied, turning towards her desk, taking a quick sip of coffee, and grabbing some files. She walked out of her office, feeling Aaron's eyes on her, which was comforting, but she did not have a good feeling about Moss.

9:00 am.

"Hey, Seth. Talking points for today," Emily greeted the press secretary, as she handed him that day's memo.

"Hey, thank you. Anything unusual?" Seth asked as he glanced at the memo.

"No, it's quiet today." Emily turned to leave. It was too quiet for her liking. She made her way to Aaron's office and shut the door.

"Moss missed the meeting again," Emily said quietly as she walked over to Aaron's desk. Aaron nodded his head. "I know. I was there," he said with a smirk. "The president didn't even notice," Emily continued, trying to piece something together. "And his office hasn't even asked for briefings," Emily added.

"The president could be filling him in," Aaron suggested to which Emily raised her eyebrows in response. "Wouldn't that be something he would have his Chief of Staff take care of?"

"Good point," Aaron said softly, his face burrowing in concentration.

"I'm going to see if there's any record of communication between the president and Moss," Emily concluded as she turned to leave.

"Lunch?" she asked over her shoulder. She could practically hear Aaron smirk.

12:00 pm.

Emily had shut her door and told her deputy that she wasn't to be disturbed unless the president called. He was out of the office for lunch with a senator, so she knew he wouldn't be barging in. She kicked her shoes off and sank into the couch next to Aaron.

"Are Seth and Kendra a thing?" Aaron asked her suddenly, as she took a bite of salad.

"Are you asking me as the National Security Advisor?" Emily asked in response.

"I'm asking as your boyfriend," Aaron replied smirking at her and gently bumping into her. Emily froze. She could feel herself blush. They had been spending every night together. They had a routine of leaving work and going to Aaron's apartment to pick up clothes for him. Then, they would pick up some sort of take out and head to her place. They had sex at least twice a day, but they hadn't had the boyfriend conversation. Emily was glad that Aaron just assumed that because she had, but she knew they were in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. She didn't want it to end, but she knew it had to.

"I think so, but neither of them have said anything to me," Emily replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I think Seth was hiding in Kendra's office when I went to ask her about the subpoena. Emily laughed as she took a sip of water. "Sounds about right," she confirmed.

Aaron leaned in close to Emily. "Looks like we're not the only ones who have something to hide," Aaron whispered in her ear. Emily involuntarily closed her eyes when she felt his breath so close to her. She could feel the shivers forming all over her body. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She looked directly at him. "I don't know what you're talking about, Aaron. We don't have anything to hide." She stood up and went to her desk for some space. She needed to keep some sort of composure at work.

2:00 pm.

Emily decided that she was going to skip the day's press conference. She could always watch it later if she really needed to. Instead, she made her way to Kendra's office.

"Hey Ken, how'd that subpoena go?" Emily asked as she walked in and sat in the chair facing Kendra's desk.

"Squashed," Kendra replied with a big smile, "absolutely no merit."

"That's a relief," Emily said even though she was never really worried about it. "Are you coming into the office tomorrow?" Emily asked nonchalantly.

"I wasn't planning on it. I was just planning on doing a few things from home. Do you need something? I could easily come in." One of the things Emily loved about Kendra was her willingness to help. Not a lot of people had that quality anymore.

"No, we should be good. I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to come over for dinner tomorrow night? We can order takeout." Emily smiled.

"Uh sure," Kendra said hesitantly.

"I know this may be weird, but I just thought it would be nice to hang out, away from work...like friends." Emily reasoned.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Kendra replied with a smile.

4:30 pm.

Emily sat at her desk, glaring at the stack of files on her desk. All wrong. Again. She was taking deep breaths trying to calm herself down. She served at the pleasure of the president. If she didn't agree with his decisions, she still got in line.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she slipped her shoes off. She was starting to regret asking Kendra over. She would have to clean...and tell Aaron he had to get lost for the night. She would rather spend the night with Aaron, but it also bothered her that she didn't have many friends, like she wasn't worth the effort, even though she knew that she isolated herself. She took a last deep breath and sat up in her chair, going through emails. She decided to reach out to Moss's Chief of Staff and see if he needed notes on the national security briefing. If the answer was no, then the president was filling him in, but Emily doubted it.

7:30 pm.

"Ready to go, Em?" Aaron asked as he walked over to her desk.

"Yeah," Emily said quietly. Aaron took her bag from her and kissed her quickly. She gave him a smile, and she knew Aaron could tell something was wrong.

"What do you want for dinner?" Emily asked.

"Hmmm, I don't know, but I know what I want for dessert," Aaron answered playfully, pulling Emily against him and kissing her again.

"Well, the quicker we get dinner, the quicker you can have dessert."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: this chapter is rated M. Pure fluff.**

9:00 pm.

Emily wrapped a blanket around herself and leaned back into Aaron on the couch. She rested her head on his shoulder, resuming her position between his arms.

"You ok, Em?" he asked softly, giving her a quick kiss on her head.

"Same," she replied softly, "if this thing with Moss is serious, I need to protect the president. I owe him that much." Even though Emily was usually awful at verbalizing her feelings, Aaron always knew what she was saying.

"You don't owe him anything. He would understand. Besides, he's got me," Aaron teased squeezing her shoulders. Emily rolled her eyes.

"I would feel bad. Kirkman doesn't deserve this, any of this." Emily's voice was soft, and Aaron shifted so they were facing each other.

"Em, you deserve to be happy." He kissed her gently and hugged her tightly.

2:00 am.

Emily could feel Aaron's body on hers and could feel his nose and breath on her neck.

"What time is it?" Emily asked groggily as she involuntarily pushed her body into his.

"We have plenty of time." Aaron's voice was husky. Emily wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Aren't you worried about me getting enough sleep?" Emily teased causing Aaron to chuckle.

"You woke me up the other night. This is just payback," Aaron whispered into her ear before he slid her underwear down her legs, causing her to moan. He was quickly on top of her again, kissing her softly. She could feel him pressed against her, and the suspense was driving her crazy. She tugged at his boxers, and he finished taking them off. She could feel him hovering above her, and she arched her back, so she could feel him.

"Aaron," she moaned as he starting kissing her neck. He brought his head back up and rested his forehead gently on hers looking into her eyes as he entered her causing her to gasp.

"Oh Aaron, I love you," Emily moaned. She could feel Aaron freeze, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She felt so stupid. She meant it. She did love him, but she knew this wasn't the place to say it for the first time. Not knowing what else to do, she started wiggling her hips and kissed him. She traced his lips with her tongue in hopes of distracting him, and it worked.

3:00 am.

Aaron was still laying on top of her, and his weight was beginning to be too much for her. She gently pushed him to roll over and snuggled into his side. She didn't know what to say, and he was being quiet. She was sure he heard her. His body language told him that much.

"Aaron?" she asked softly, half wishing he was asleep, so she didn't have to deal with her idiocy.

"Yeah," he answered. From the one word, she couldn't tell what he was feeling, but his arms were still wrapped tightly around her, and he was tracing her arm up and down with his fingertips.

"I do love you. I've felt this way for a while now. I'm sor…" Before Emily could apologize, Aaron cut her off.

"Em…" he pulled her in top of him and sat up. He cupped her face in his hands.

"I love you, too," he said, kissing her gently before deepening it. Emily couldn't express it enough in words, but she loved Aaron so much. She never wanted to be away from him, and she couldn't get enough of him. He made her feel good, and he made her a better person.

5:00 am.

Emily's legs were tangled with Aaron's, and she had wrapped herself in a couple blankets. She was laying on her side facing away from Aaron. He was gently rubbing her back with one hand and was checking emails with his other hand.

"Slow Saturday," Aaron told her as he put his phone on her night stand and turned back towards her.

"Good, more time to sleep," Emily mumbled.

"Are you cold?" Aaron asked before he kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her.

"Yes, you left me." Emily rolled onto her back pouting causing Aaron to chuckle.

"Well, I'll have to make it up to you," Aaron replied as he gently caressed her face.

"You better," Emily demanded with a smile.

"Em, I didn't think we'd get here," Aaron whispered a little sadly as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Emily gave him a small smile.

"Me too, but I'm really glad we did."

7:00 am.

"Ready to go?" Aaron asked as he picked up Emily's bag and waited for her by the door.

"I can carry my own bag," Emily replied as she tried to slip into her coat and shoes at the same time while juggling her dry cleaning. Aaron smirked at the disheveled Emily standing in front of him.

"This is your fault," Emily proclaimed as she fixed her scarf.

"What? How is it my fault?" Aaron asked incredulously.

"You keep distracting me," Emily said mischievously as she pulled Aaron's jacket to bring him closer to her. She brushed her lips quickly against his and opened her front door.

"That reminds me," Emily said, "you can't come over tonight. I'm having guests." Aaron narrowed his eyes at her as he followed her out of the apartment and shut the door behind him.

"Guests?" Aaron asked suspiciously.

"Well, just one," Emily replied as she locked the door.

"Oh, ok," Aaron said. Emily could tell that Aaron was disappointed. She grabbed his hand as they walked to his car.

"I was thinking you could come over later, after she leaves," Emily asked looking slyly at Aaron's reaction. He seemed to be relieved.

"She? Hmm, I don't have any plans. I was planning on spending tonight with you," he replied.

"Is that a yes?" Emily asked flirtatiously.

"Of course," Aaron responded.

"Good. Then, we can sleep in tomorrow," Emily looked up at him with a gleam in her eye. She already had the whole day planned, and if there was an emergency, she would be crushed.

"I'm going to drive myself today. I'll text you later," Emily said as Aaron pulled her in for a kiss.

"Ok, see you later," he responded. He kissed her gently and was slightly breathless when he pulled away.


	23. Chapter 23

12:00 pm.

Emily grabbed some files off her desk and shoved them hastily in her bag before leaving her office. She had a lot she wanted to get done before Kendra came over that evening.

As she turned on her heel to exit, she literally ran into Aaron.

"Hey," Aaron said smoothly, "heading out on time?" He steadied her as she bobbled on her heel.

"Yes, for once," Emily said with a laugh.

"Were you going to come say goodbye?" Aaron asked, pretending to pout.

"Of course," Emily said slyly. She was sure Aaron didn't believe her. She shifted her stuff to one arm and put her other hand on his chest. Leaning in close, she whispered, "I promise I'll make it up to you tonight."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Aaron replied smugly. "Let me walk you out," he added.

2:30 pm.

It had taken Emily longer than she anticipated at the grocery store. She put everything away and kicked off her shoes. She had wanted to give her apartment a deep cleaning before Kendra came over, but as soon as she sank into her couch, she knew it wasn't going to happen.

She closed her eyes, thinking she would just take a quick nap…

5:00 pm.

Emily groaned as an incessant ringing woke her up.

"Shit," she mumbled as she sat up.

"Hey, Kendra," she answered her phone as she stood up from the couch. "Shit, I'm sorry." She hung up quickly and rushed to the door.

"Hey," Kendra said brightly. "Chinese," she added as she held up the bags in her hand.

"Oh Kendra," Emily replied, gesturing for her to come in, "I'm so sorry. I fell asleep."

"I figured. You've been looking a little tired lately. Why don't you go change?"

Emily appreciated how kind Kendra was being. It was one of the reasons she invited Kendra over. Genuine kindness was hard to find these days.

7:30 pm.

Emily and Kendra had managed to finish a bottle of wine and started a second. Emily was feeling good. It was nice to have another woman to talk to about work and work gossip and to hear what the gossip was about her. Thankfully, Kendra hadn't mentioned anything about her and Aaron, and she was pretty sure she would have said something by now. Kendra was an awful liar, and Emily was sure she was even more awful with a half a bottle of wine in her.

"So," Emily said casually as she took the last sip of her wine, "Seth has been acting weird lately. Do you know what's going on with him?" Emily's smile grew at Kendra's reaction. Kendra turned bright red and tried to hide her face.

Emily laughed, "is it serious?" Kendra only nodded and giggled and received a giggle from Emily in return.

"Well," Emily tried to say matter of fairly, but her speech was starting to slur, "I think you two are perfect for each other." Kendra blushed in response and asked, "Are people gossiping about us?"

"Wouldn't know. People don't gossip with the Chief of Staff," Emily said seriously.

"I'll just have to keep you filled in then," Kendra said with a grin.

10:00 pm.

Emily was definitely drunk. After two bottles of wine, she was relieved when Kendra called an Uber to drive her home. Otherwise, Emily would have offered her couch. After seeing Kendra out, she quickly texted Aaron.

"Coast is clear."

Emily had felt guilty for not relaying her relationship with Aaron to Kendra, but she just wasn't ready to tell people.

She looked at her phone when Aaron responded. "I'll be there in 20." She felt heat pool in her belly at his response. She wasn't planning on Kendra staying so late. Honestly, she thought it would be slightly awkward with Kendra, but the wine definitely took the edge off. She also wasn't planning on getting drunk tonight. Aaron had never seen her drunk. She only told him stories about her crazy college days.

She cleaned up the takeout containers as she waited for Aaron, trying to ignore the tingling feeling in her lips. As she wiped down the counter, she heard something metal clang to the floor. The key. She mentally kicked herself for forgetting to give it to him. She bent down to look for it when she heard knocking at the door. She quickly stood up and banged her head on an open drawer. "Shit," she yelled in pain, rubbing her head as she made her way to her front door.

"Hey, Em," Aaron said softly as she opened the door, literally taking her breath away.

"Aaron." She tried to make her voice even, but it came out more sing-songy. He kissed her softly on the lips.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked with that smirk.

"Mmm. What did you do today?" Emily asked as she removed his coat and hung it on her coat tree by her door. She grabbed his hand and led him to the couch.

"I got caught up on some work and some sleep," Aaron replied.

"That's good," Emily said as she straddled his lap. "I do recall I have to make something up to you, and I would hate for you to fall asleep." Her lips were next to his ear, and she pushed her chest against his.

"I don't think I'm going to fall asleep," Aaron replied as he traced her cheek with his nose.

12:00 am.

"We should go to bed," Emily whispered into Aaron's ear. She could feel him smirk as she dropped her head and kissed him lazily on the neck. Before she knew it, he stood up with her in his arms and made his way to her bedroom, eliciting a giggle from her.

"I like you drunk," Aaron whispered seductively in her ear causing her to giggle more as he gently put her on the bed. She pulled the comforter up to cover them as Aaron joined her.

"I really like you," Emily whispered as she turned to snuggle closer to him and sloppily kissed him on the corner of his mouth. She liked being drunk or at least tipsy. It was so much easier for her to express her feelings, and she wanted Aaron to know exactly how she was feeling tonight.

6:00 am.

Emily untangled her legs from Aaron's and left the warmth and comfort of the bed. She put a robe on and tied back her hair as she noted the throbbing in her head and the dryness of her mouth. She brushed her teeth quietly, trying not to wake up Aaron. Checking to make sure he was still asleep, she gently closed her bedroom door and made her way to the kitchen. She quickly started the coffee maker and popped some Advil. She had wanted today to be special. It was the first time in a while that they both had off, and she had so many things she wanted to do for Aaron. This was her one day to do them, and her hangover wasn't helping.

She started breakfast. She loved to cook, but she rarely had time for it anymore. She had all four of her burners going, and she was taking the bacon out of the pan when she felt Aaron wrap his arms around her.

"Good morning," she said leaning into him gently as she flipped a pancake.

"Hmm," he hummed in her ear. She could feel his arms tighten, and he pressed against her.

"This is such a turn-on," he whispered in her ear causing her to laugh as he started kissing her neck and his hands started playing with the tie on her robe.

"Don't get any ideas," Emily tried to say sternly as she continued to stack the pancakes.

"Why not?" Aaron whined pulling her even tighter against him.

"This food is not going to waste," she said as she turned off two of the burners and turned around in his arms. She kissed him chastely on the lips and side-stepped him to get a plate from the counter behind them.

8:00 am.

Emily loved mornings like this. She wished every morning could be so relaxing, and she could savor the sweet moments with Aaron.

"That was really good, Em," Aaron proclaimed as he put his plate on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch. His leg brushed up against hers, and Emily could feel her breathing hitch. She knew her reactions to him wouldn't last forever, but she loved the way he made her feel.

"So what are we doing today?" Aaron asked as she put her plate on the coffee table and snuggled closer into his side folding herself under his arm.

"Anything. Everything," she mumbled as she pressed her face into his shoulder. It was a sin for anyone to smell this good. She could feel his fingers graze over her shoulder through her robe causing her to shiver. He moved suddenly, causing her to sink further into the couch.

"I'll clean up."

"I'll help," Emily replied not skipping a beat and picking up the coffee cups to take to the kitchen.

"But you cooked," Aaron argued.

"We'll get done faster if we do it together," Emily cooed as she brushed by him to the sink.

"I like the way you think," Aaron whispered into her ear as he reached around her to put the plates in the sink. She started rinsing the plates as she felt Aaron's hands on her hips pushing himself against her.

"Aaron," Emily warned. He hummed in her ear keeping his body flush against hers. She was finding it hard to breathe. He gently took the dishes from her hands and moved away from her putting them in the dishwasher. She exhaled slowly while grabbing the pans from the stove. As she rinsed and squirted soap onto the pans, Aaron stood behind her again, pulling her hips tightly against his. Emily could feel herself smile. Doing dishes was fun with Aaron.


End file.
